Women have been instrumental in shaping India's healthcare sector. With nearly 30 per cent of medical doctors being women and a staggering 80 per cent of nurses and midwifery staff female, their contribution is undeniable.
Despite these impressive numbers, challenges persist. Women occupy only 20 per cent of leadership roles in the sector and continue to earn around 34 per cent less than their male counterparts. Women doctors often face barriers to leadership roles, gender biases in the workplace, and an uneven distribution across medical specialities. Many are concentrated in paediatrics, obstetrics, and gynaecology, while fewer women enter high-paying surgical or critical care specialities.
For nurses and midwives, their dominance in numbers does not always translate into better working conditions or pay. Many work long hours under high stress, often with inadequate compensation. However, their role has been crucial in maternal and child healthcare, rural health services, and pandemic response efforts.
The increasing presence of women in healthcare highlights both progress and the need for systemic changes to ensure better representation in leadership, equitable pay, and improved working conditions.
Strengthening policies around gender equality in medical education, workplace environments, and career advancement will be key to leveraging their full potential.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, it is essential to recognise and amplify women who are shaping the healthcare sector. Their resilience, commitment and groundbreaking work are transforming lives and paving the way for a more inclusive and equitable healthcare system.
In recognition of International Women’s Day, we spoke to Gauri Navalkar, Director and CEO – India, UE LifeSciences, Dr Smita Naram, Founder and CEO, Ayushakti and Dr Jayashree Aiyar, Chief Scientific Officer, Syngene International, about the role of women in leadership and their impact on the healthcare industry.
Impact of Women's Leadership on Healthcare
Gauri Navalkar, Director and CEO - India, UE LifeSciences, reflected on how Women leaders bring diverse perspectives that enhance patient-centred care, organisational culture, and decision-making. “Studies suggest that diverse leadership teams lead to better patient outcomes, as women tend to prioritise holistic and preventive care. Additionally, organisations with female leaders often have more inclusive workplace policies, increasing employee satisfaction and retention. In decision-making, women leaders are known for collaborative approaches, balancing business imperatives with ethical considerations. This is particularly relevant in healthcare, where long-term patient welfare must align with financial sustainability.”
Dr Smita Naram, Founder and CEO, Ayushakti, highlighted, “Women bring a unique perspective to healthcare—one that prioritises empathy, holistic well-being, and long-term healing. In organisational culture, female leadership fosters collaboration and inclusivity.”
Dr Jayashree Aiyar, Chief Scientific Officer, Syngene International, stated, “Women by nature are people-oriented, empathetic and resilient. When women are part of key leadership roles, they bring diverse perspectives that add so much value to decision-making. Research shows that organisations with more women in leadership benefit from stronger decision-making, ethical governance, and improved health policies. Achieving gender parity in healthcare leadership has been linked to significant gains in global human capital wealth, highlighting diversity's economic and societal value."
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In decision-making, women leaders are known for collaborative approaches, balancing business imperatives with ethical considerations
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Overcoming Challenges as a Woman in Healthcare Leadership
Navalkar explained, “Women in healthcare leadership often face conscious or unconscious biases that challenge their authority and decision-making. There is also a lack of representation at the highest levels, making it harder to find mentors or sponsors who can support career progression. Additionally, balancing professional responsibilities with societal expectations of caregiving roles can be an added pressure. Navigating these challenges requires a combination of strategic networking, assertive leadership, and data-driven decision-making.
Demonstrating measurable impact—whether through operational efficiencies, patient outcomes, or revenue growth—helps establish credibility. Building strong partnerships within and outside the organisation also creates opportunities for collaboration and influence.
Dr Naram shared her views on healthcare leadership and said, "Balancing professional and personal responsibilities was key in my leadership journey. Leadership, for me, is about creating opportunities.”
Dr Aiyar highlighted, “I have not faced any unique challenges as a woman because I did not let that come in the way of my career growth. There would indeed be perceived discrimination, but we must ensure that competency and leadership win the gender battle. We need to be seen and heard as competent leaders. Today, more and more women are stepping into decision-making positions, which is great to see. In my earlier role with Syngene, the ratio of women scientists was higher than that of men.
A strong network of mentors (men and women) has played a massive role in my growth, and I’ve always looked at challenges as opportunities to learn. It’s also encouraging to see organisations working to empower and train women to be strong leaders through mentorship programmes, leadership development initiatives, or inclusive policies that enable women in pharma and healthcare.
Life has its challenges, but I never let the fact that I am a woman come in the way of achieving my goals. I have always focused on competency, resilience, and continuous learning to navigate my leadership journey.”
Breaking Systemic Barriers to Women's Leadership in Healthcare
Navalkar stated, “Women in healthcare leadership often face barriers such as limited access to leadership pipelines, underrepresentation in high-visibility, revenue-management roles, and bias in hiring and promotions, where leadership qualities are often evaluated through a male-dominant lens. Additionally, work-life integration challenges make senior roles demanding, particularly for women managing multiple responsibilities. To overcome these obstacles, organisations can establish formal mentorship and sponsorship programs, implement transparent promotion criteria to mitigate bias, and support flexible work arrangements alongside leadership development initiatives tailored for women.”
Dr Naram highlighted, “Women in healthcare leadership face challenges like underrepresentation, unconscious bias, and limited mentorship. To bridge this gap, organisations must actively mentor and sponsor female leaders while fostering work-life balance.”
Dr Aiyar explained, "While India has made remarkable strides in STEM education—with women accounting for 43 per cent of STEM graduates, one of the highest globally—their representation in the workforce and leadership positions remains disproportionately low. Women hold only 14 per cent of STEM jobs, with even fewer reaching decision-making roles.
That being said, diversity should never come at the cost of meritocracy. The goal should be to have a merit- and competency-based system that also looks into the diversity aspects. True merit can only be recognised in an equitable environment—where everyone can access opportunities, mentorship, and the right resources to excel. Investing in mentorship programmes and leadership training is important—it helps level the playing field. It ensures that talent is identified and nurtured based on capability and potential. And when you look at the growing number of women-led scientific breakthroughs and healthcare advancements, it’s clear that this approach is making a real impact.”
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Women in healthcare leadership face under representation, unconscious bias, and limited mentorship
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Addressing the Funding Gap for Women-Led Healthcare Startups
Navalkar expressed, “Despite women comprising a significant portion of the healthcare workforce, female founders receive disproportionately low venture capital due to investor bias in male-dominated VC firms and heightened scrutiny over financial viability, especially in deep-tech sectors. To bridge this gap, more women-focused investment funds and accelerator programs should be established, VC firms must diversify their decision-making teams to reduce bias, and corporate partnerships can offer alternative funding avenues for women-led healthcare ventures.”
Dr Naram explained how such cases are fewer nowadays as equality has been achieved. “Women-led healthcare startups may struggle with access to investor networks, as male-dominated venture capital spaces traditionally influence funding decisions. Holistic and preventive healthcare solutions—which women leaders often champion—are increasingly gaining recognition for their long-term benefits and transformative impact, complementing conventional pharmaceutical interventions. To bridge this funding gap, there must be more significant investment in women-led ventures focusing on holistic, long-term health solutions. Creating dedicated funds for female entrepreneurs in healthcare, encouraging women investors, and fostering mentorship programs can help ensure that impactful, patient-centric solutions receive the support they deserve.”
Dr Aiyar expressed, “I don’t know what the data are on how many women are involved in starting their own company versus men. If the percentage is low, then the outcome will also be low. Opportunities for women-led healthcare startups are expanding, but challenges still exist like limited access to investor networks and underrepresentation in venture capital. The good news is that dedicated efforts are helping to bridge this gap.
Organisations like BIRAC and DBT support women entrepreneurs in healthcare and life sciences. Programs like BIRAC’s Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG) and DBT’s funding initiatives offer financial support and mentorship, networking opportunities, and business development guidance. These initiatives are helping female founders scale their innovations and make a more significant impact in the industry.”
Women Leaders Driving Innovation in Healthcare Technology and Ethics
Navalkar explained, “Women leaders drive innovation in AI, telemedicine, and digital health by prioritising patient-centric technology design, making solutions more user-friendly and accessible, especially for underrepresented groups. They play a crucial role in ethical AI implementation, addressing gender bias in healthcare algorithms and ensuring equitable access. Additionally, women-led initiatives have been instrumental in expanding telehealth and improving healthcare accessibility in remote and underserved areas. Uniquely positioned at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and business, women leaders ensure that innovation remains impactful and responsible.”
Dr Naram highlighted, “Women leaders bring an ethical, patient-first approach to healthcare innovation. AI, telemedicine, and digital health must be inclusive, accessible, and ethically designed. Data protection is crucial as virtual consultations grow, and women leaders emphasise trust and transparency. By blending traditional healing with modern technology, we can build a future-ready healthcare system rooted in wisdom and innovation.”
Dr Aiyar stated, “Women leaders are playing a significant role in driving innovation across these areas by bringing diverse perspectives, fostering collaboration, and advancing patient-centric solutions, as are men. Today, women scientists and researchers work shoulder to shoulder with male colleagues to lead cutting-edge work in drug discovery and development, leverage AI to accelerate molecule identification, use CRISPR-based and other emerging technologies for precision medicine, and explore novel ways to tackle complex diseases.”
Women have always played a vital role in healthcare, shaping its future through leadership, innovation and dedication. Their influence extends beyond patient care to research, policy-making and technological advancements, bringing a more holistic and inclusive approach to the industry. However, progress lies in ensuring that their contributions are fully recognised, their leadership potential is nurtured, and systemic barriers are removed.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, it is a moment of recognition and a call to action—to create an equitable healthcare ecosystem where women have the opportunities, resources, and support to lead, innovate and inspire the next generation.
