Dr Vibha Chaturvedi Sharma is a Gynaecologist and Obstetrician working as Senior Consultant at CK Birla Hospitals, RBH, and Surya Hospital, Jaipur. She has done her MBBS and MS in Gynae-Obs at Zenana Hospital SMS Medical College, Jaipur. Following this she worked as a clinical fellow in Gynae laparoscopic surgery and Fertility management at Aanchal Fertility & Laparoscopic Hospital, Jaipur. She has also undergone training in Advanced infertility treatment at Aanchal Hospital. Following her training, she has worked as a Gynaec Laparoscopist, Obstetrician & Infertility specialist at Cocoon Hospital. She has also done observership in High-Risk Pregnancies in the USA.

In an exclusive interview with The Gray Matter team, Dr. Vibha Chaturvedi shares her thoughts on how digital media influences women's health, the management of pregnant patients during the pandemic, and government interventions in promoting women's health.

In the present times, how do you think digital media can affect health campaigns for women?

Digital media is powerful enough to influence the decision to get treatments, especially for gynecology. Nowadays, social media is accessible to everyone making all sorts of health information available. The internet is full of blogs from both credible and non-credible sources. A patient reading blogs from a doctor is more likely to reach out to a doctor for further opinions. I receive a lot of patient and patient queries through these digital portals. Patients who live far away or are just hesitant to visit a doctor reach out through these platforms for online consultation. We have consulted patients via telemedicine from cities like Pune, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi. All they need to do is upload their reports and receive consultation online. 

So far, the influence of digital media has been positive, making it easier to get in touch with the doctor. It is time-saving, and patients get consultations at their preferred times. I always ask patients which professional blog they have read, whether it is authentic, or if the person has relevant credentials and qualifications to write, to minimize the negative impact and the spread of false information. I always advise them to pay attention only to expert opinions.

How were pregnant patients handled during the COVID-19 pandemic? Have we learned anything post-pandemic?

Where I work, it was a COVID Center during the time, so I dealt with a lot of COVID patients and performed delivery of COVID-positive patients too. Despite the limited resources and the dense population, hospitals in India managed the COVID situation pretty well. All international COVID protocols were being followed in India too. PPE kits and masks were being made in India, making their availability easier. I do not think we lacked anywhere in treating pregnant women during the pandemic.

Secondly, people had also started educating themselves. Social media became a tool for education at the time. How to distance yourself, what kind of diet to take, and what hand hygiene to follow were being researched and followed by people. In the case of pregnant women, the supplementary prescription of vitamin C, zinc, and calcium protected them, or at least they were not severely affected by the COVID infection.

The availability of beds, which became a concern occasionally, was managed well.

How can doctors of other specialties diagnose health issues specific to women?

Sometimes patient with other gynae problems does not reach us. I want to share with other doctors that three diseases are common in Indian women, anemia, thyroid, especially hypothyroidism, and diabetes. So, they must perform a CBC, regardless of age, a thyroid test, and a random blood sugar test, every time they treat a female patient. For women patients, these three blood workups are necessary.

Besides, I advise annual health checkups, including ultrasound for the abdomen and chest X-rays, which can even catch cancer at an early stage.

How have Obs & Gynae doctors played their role in the SAVE THE GIRL CHILD campaign?

Every gynecologist follows government guidelines that strictly ban abortion after 12 weeks. An abortion can only be allowed if the child has an anomaly or the mother's life is at risk.

Secondly, gynecologists have separated themselves from performing sonography and its procedures. It has reduced the pressure they had on the parents to know about the gender of the child.

Additionally, we never talk about a male or a female child. We always talk about the baby. Delivering a healthy baby is our duty. The sex ratio in Rajasthan has improved in the past years due to the vigilant PCPNDT cell.

Counseling from doctors is crucial. The first step is to tell the parents that the priority is a healthy baby. Then I also quote myself as an example, if required, that I am a girl child and no less than my brothers. While counseling, I focus a lot on girl education and self-reliance.

What improvements do you think are necessary for government healthcare programs for women?

Our government is active in maternal and child health programs. It has made institutional deliveries very important. What I feel is necessary as an additional step is triaging pregnant women into high-risk and low-risk pregnancies. High-risk pregnancy cases should be referred to higher centers immediately without delay. The mother and child often come to us after delivery as ours is a tertiary-level NICU. Ideally, the mother should be transferred to the higher center when the baby is still in the womb. It allows simultaneous treatment of the mother and the baby in a safer environment without any traveling time which can cause infection to the premineonate. Triaging of pregnancies should be made compulsory at the PHC and CHC levels. More gynecologists should be deployed at the CHC and district hospital level to handle the large patient load.