BRING THE BABY INTO THEATRE TOO!

The CMO’s recently published 2006 Annual Report raises the issue of women in medicine in a paper “Women in Medicine: Opportunity Blocks.”

The front page has a fetching photo of a woman surgeon in full theatre dress operating along with her male colleagues. However, there is no equality here. The woman surgeon has to operate with her baby slung around her neck. The baby is looking on with interest and obviously learning a few surgical competencies before he can walk. (male baby, tomorrows surgeon, I think).

Sir Liam Donaldson identifies five key facts driving this paper:

One
“Two-thirds of new medical students are women, yet less than 30% of consultants, 11% of professors and 36% of senior lecturers are female.”

Two
“Studies of women doctors’ attitudes and experience show that many regret entering the profession because of the barriers to career progression that they encounter.”

Three
“European Union data identify the main obstacles to maintaining women in the general workforce as inflexible working hours, poor childcare provision and an absence of tax incentives.”

Four
“Similar obstacles confront women doctors and are exacerbated by the work patterns in modern medicine (particularly the need for 24-hour cover); the hurdles in academic medicine appear particularly unfriendly to women.”

Five
“Whilst the NHS was an early pioneer in flexible working and provides childcare in the workplace, these measures have not been developed sufficiently to address the fundamental problems that impede women doctors’ careers.”

The Witch Doctor - Link to a random page

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LINK TO UK MISSING KIDS WEBSITE

LINK TO MISSING PERSONS WEBSITE

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