Dr Farrah Deeba (FRACGP) shares with Medfuture her experiences and thoughts on embracing both a medical career and motherhood –An inspiration to young women in the field of medicine.

1.       What drove you to become a Doctor?

My family commitment was what drove me towards the medical field. My father encouraged me to become a doctor when I was young, and as I grew older I liked the idea of becoming a doctor. I was passionate about it. I was previously specialized in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and then when I had children, I thought being a GP had a good work-life balance. Especially in Australia I have the ability to choose what I can and can’t do, what I want and don’t want to do —which was pretty good. Once I became a GP, I really enjoyed that as well.

2.       What do you like about your job?

I like looking after patients, following up with them and sharing a relationship where I can say “I am your doctor”. The trust I give the patients that I will look after them, their family and getting to know the whole family is fascinating. I like the flexibility of the job. As a mother, I think that is very important to me. I should be able to attend my kid's school function or award ceremonies or sports carnival. I could do all of that while being a GP.

3.       Has there been a female role model throughout your journey?

Not really, because I come from a very conservative area in Pakistan and I am the first female doctor in the whole village. So I don't think there was a female role model, to be honest. It was my father who always encouraged me to do well in life and, you know, become a doctor.

4.       What do you see as the biggest challenge juggling a career in medicine with motherhood?

I think being a mother does not make you any less efficient, you actually become better. I think I could do much more now than I used to do when I was a younger person. The only thing is, there are certain limitations to what you can physically can and can't do. Like, one of the challenges is you have to make sure that you balance life and work so that you are giving time to your family and your children while working. I have three kids who go to three different schools. I drop the three of them and I go to work. Then I finish work and pick them up and bring them home. When I'm at work, I'm always at work—I don't think about the house and the children, I look after my patients. But once I'm home, I don't bring work home, I focus on the family.

5.       In view of Women’s day, are there challenges faced by female doctors in the workplace today?

Yes, unfortunately, even in the 21st century in Australia. I am not going to specify. But I went for an interview last year for a hospital job that I wanted to take-up as part time work because I was interested in the field. At the interview, I was told to my face, “how will you manage it because you have children?”, which was obviously not very nice. It’s not someone’s job to look down on you. I still think women get discriminated in certain workplaces because we are mothers and people think that we can't be good or we can't dedicate ourselves fully because we are mothers, which is not true. It is my job to organize my life, not for others to think that I'm not good enough because I'm a mother. I chose to be a mother and I'm proud to be a mother. It doesn't mean that I can't be good at work or I can't do things because I have children and commitment. When I saw the question, I thought this doesn't happen, but sadly it still happens.

6.       What is your take on equal opportunities for men and women in professional life and what are your experiences in this regard?

I think we still have far to go when it comes to women that can't do more. We can see a lot of defeats with the hierarchy, if you look at all higher positions it's mainly men. So, I think we still have a long way to go, even though on paper it's equal opportunities. But do I believe in it 100 percent? Not really. They really don't want to have women because then they say “you go on maternity leave when you have children” as if it's our fault. So, I don't think there's equal opportunities specifically in certain fields. Although they are okay with women in General Practice, in certain specialties like surgical and orthopedic, men are preferred.

 

7.       Is it necessary as a woman to decide between career and motherhood? What advice would you give young women in this regard?

I think you should go for what you want. Yes, you have to prioritize things timewise. For instance, when you want to get married and have children since leaving that to 40s probably is too late. But in terms of what you can and can’t achieve, I don’t think you can’t achieve certain things because you want to be a mother. Absolutely not. You should go for whatever you want in life, you can achieve. I have achieved so much even though I come from a very conservative background. I have been to four countries I have worked in a lot of workplaces and I have never had any problem working anywhere. I married and I have three children. I changed my field because I want to spend more time with my children and be there for them but that does not make me less of a doctor. I am still working. So, put your dreams first, go for it!

Dr Farrah Deeba is a General Practitioner (FRACGP) with extensive experience in multiple facets of medicine including obstetrics and gynaecology, primary care, emergency medicine, internal medicine, oncology/chemotherapy and general practice. Upon graduating in Pakistan, Dr Deeba has worked in medical practices in the UK, Malaysia, Rural Australia, and currently live and work as a General Practitioner in Perth.