9 of 46 associations of IMA led by women, only one female president since its start: Study
Indian Medical Association's (IMA's) inception in 1928, only one was a woman, said a team of researchers, including those from The George Institute for Global Health, New Delhi.
They looked at the current and past leaderships of the professional medical associations, including the Indian Public Health Association (IPHA) and those of all broad medical and surgical specialties.
Unequal gender representation persists even in the medical associations closely involved in women's health such as obstetrics and gynaecology, pediatrics and neonatology, highlighting a male dominance, the authors said in the study published in the journal PLoS Global Public Health.
«For instance, the National Neonatology Forum has only one woman in its leadership committee and in The Federation of Obstetric and Gynecological Societies of India's 73 years of history, only 15 per cent of past presidents were women,» the authors wrote.
Founded in 1928, the IMA is a voluntary organisation of 3.5 lakh doctors practicing modern medicine. Along with promoting modern medicine and public health education, it is involved in representing the interest of the doctors and ensuring the well-being of the wider community.
The study's authors said that professional medical associations play a crucial role in shaping policy agenda in the health sector, but very little is known about gender diversity in their leadership.
Looking at the IMA's sub-chapters, which are part of local groups or branches across 28 states and four Union Territories, the authors
