When Dr Neebha Ojha completed her MBBS degree, she tied the knot with her class mate Dr Saroj Ojha. Within in a year, they had a baby. She was going through her internship then. It’s a daunting task for her to manage time between work and family. But having a dedicated and supportive husband helped her pursue her career further as a gynecologist.

Dr Ojha has been working as a gynecologist at Teaching Hospital for over a decade. Earlier she assisted at the Maternity Hospital, Thapathali.  Now a mother of two daughters and one son, Dr Neebha shares the difficulties she went through and the hurdles she faced during her career. To know more about her inspirational life story read more:

What/who inspired you to be a doctor?

Since my early days, I was passionate about being a doctor. However, my mother is my source of inspiration. She pursued me on becoming a doctor. Actually she yearned to be a doctor and also got a scholarship to study MBBS. But she gave on her dream after her marriage. She indeed wanted to see one of her children become a doctor. Fortunately, I was the child to fulfill her dream.

What are the challenges you faced while pursuing your career?

I married immediately after completing MBBS. In year’s time, our first child was born.  I had already enrolled for my internship. This meant I had to drive gave birth during both my family and career side-by-side. Both of us were at struggling phases in our respective careers. It was quite tough to manage the finances as well. But, we worked together and ran our family smoothly. Soon, our careers too were smooth sailing. Then, I got a government job as a gynecologist at Maternity Hospital, Thapathali. We both completed our master degree. By now, I had two more children. Now, I and my husband work in Teaching Hospital.

You married after completing your MBBS, and also became a mother within a year. How did you manage your work and home?

Well, there is a different level of enthusiasm as a youth. So I and my husband decided to have a baby to fill our loneliness. My in-laws were in the village and my parents were abroad. Luckily, we lived along with my husband’s brother and his wife. This somehow minimized my workload to look after my child. If there is stability in a marital life, anyone can strike a balance between work and home. In addition, I was always with my children after 4 PM. Now they are all grown up—the eldest daughter is a doctor, younger one is a computer engineer and my youngest son is studying A Levels in Budalinkanta School.

You have been in medical profession for two decades. So, how do you evaluate the medical-scenario in Nepal?

It’s thriving in terms of technology. Back then, in the beginning of my career, we had limited resources. Likewise, patients were not so aware. They blindly trusted what we said. However, in today’s scenario it’s completely different. Apart from medical skills, we also need communication skills.  We’ve to smartly counsel our patients step by step.