This year’s International Women’s day is themed ‘Balance for Better ’. It is another opportunity to celebrate women and their amazing and continuous contribution to civilization and humanity. Women all through history have in so many ways added quality to the present condition of the world and are a deciding factor to what the future will be.
The purpose of this celebration of women is to pay tribute to the fact that the narrative of women, the culture and their contribution to the society is often overlooked.
#BalanceforBetter, this year’s theme should be viewed as a way to promote equality between genders in all spheres of life ranging from leadership roles to economic empowerment and social status.
Looking through history, women have made valuable and immense contributions to the growth and development in their various chosen fields of endeavour. As women’s trailblazing history is weaved into the fabric of our nation’s history, our stories become blueprints for a younger generation. This goes a long way in giving hope for a brighter future to the younger generation. It also encourages the girl child to believe in her capabilities and relevance to her environment and the society at large.
Specifically in Medicine, we have women who have broken the jinx of ‘The weaker Sex’ to inspire the upcoming generation to develop their innate potential to make them believe that they have the ability to achieve any dream they set for themselves.
Examples of trail-blazing Nigerian women in Medicine:
Dr. Elizabeth Abimbola Awoliyi
The first female physician to practice in Nigeria, also the first West African woman to earn a license of Royal Surgeon in Dublin. She became the first West African woman to be awarded a licentiate of Royal Surgeon in Dublin, a member of the Royal College of Physicians (UK) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecology and also a Diplomate of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. She was the second president of the National Council of Women’s Societies of Nigeria from 1964 until her death in 1971.
Prof. Dora Akunyili
Prof. Akunyili was an internationally renowned pharmacist, pharmacologist, veteran administrator and a visionary leader. She served as director general of National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) from 2001-2008 where she recorded outstanding successes. She brought in a new culture of excellence and honesty and as a result, the level of fake and counterfeit drugs in circulation dropped by a measurable degree.
Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh
Dr. Adadevoh was a consultant Endocrinologist who is credited with curbing the spread of Ebola in Nigeria. She diagnosed and subsequently quarantined the first patient to be diagnosed with Ebola in Nigeria (a Liberian diplomat), despite immense pressure from the Liberian government. She eventually succumbed to the virus herself after treating the patient.
Dr. Olufunmilayo Olopade
Dr. Olopode is an internationally-renowned hematology oncologist, geneticist and expert in cancer-risk assessment. As a MacArthur Fellow, her research into Breast cancer in women of African descent led to ground-breaking discoveries in both diagnosis and individualized treatment for the most aggressive forms of breast cancer. Graduated from the University of Ibadan but now serves as Assoc. Dean for Global Health and Walter L. Palmer Distinguished Service Professor in Medicine & Human Genetics, University of Chicago.
Dr. Ogadinma Mgbajah
Dr. Mgbajah is a consultant Cardiothoracic surgeon at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria, and the first female Cardiothoracic surgeon in West Africa. Dr Mgbajah earned her MBBS at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. Dr Mgbajah completed her residency training in Cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Ibadan and obtained her fellowship from the West African College of Surgeons in 2016.
Dr. Salamat Ahouiza Aliu
Dr. Aliu is the first female to be certified a neurosurgeon in West Africa. She is also the first indigenous-trained female neurosurgeon in Nigeria. She attended medical school at the University of Ilorin to get her first degree and continued her training and specialization in neurosurgery in Usmanu Danfodiyo University. She currently practices at National Hospital Abuja.
One unifying trait of all these women is that they went forward with their ambitions without thought of their gender, although they were repeatedly reminded of it along the way. They all serve as bright examples of following your passion and talent, with a desire for excellence, regardless of obstacles along the way.