In the 19th century, women’s health was a concern in the country, but a bigger concern was the doctors who were treating them because most of them were male. Women during the time had to follow certain societal norms that made it difficult for them to consult a male doctor.
Constraints such as the purdah system and other societal norms increased the demand for indigenous women doctors in the country.
Dr. Jamini Sen was one of the earliest Indian doctors who was trained in India as well as abroad.
Jamini Sen was born in 1871 in Barisal, which is now in Bangladesh. She was born into the Brahmo family. Brahmo leaders were famous at the time for supporting female medical students. However, Jamini’s father, Chandicharan Sen, was not willing to admit his daughters to a medical college. Jamini had another sister, Kamini Roy, who was a poetess but also wanted to pursue medicine. Chandicharan did not let Kamini go to medical school, but Jamini was able to pursue her studies and was able to start her medical science journey.
Jamini gave her F.A. (First Arts) examination from Bethune College in 1890 and eventually enrolled in Calcutta Medical College.
She graduated in 1896, earning both the L.M.S. (Licentiate in Medicine and Surgery) and the M.B. (Bachelor of Medicine) degrees.
During her fourth year in the medical college, she secured a first-class mark in Materia Medica. She did exceptionally well in academics and was the only Bengali woman in her class while pursuing medicine.
Dr. Jamini started to practice medicine privately in Calcutta. While working in Calcutta, she faced many problems as people at the time did not want to consult with a female doctor unless referred by a male doctor.
Dr. Jamini did not want her career to depend on male doctors.
In 1899, she was offered a role at one of the female hospitals in Nepal; she also took care of the Royal Family of Nepal.
In 1909, she returned back to India and started to work at Dufferin Hospital.
She soon realized that the field of medical science was vast and continuously advancing, so she applied for a scholarship under the Dufferin Fund and was also awarded the grant. This scholarship was one of her biggest achievements initially, given that it was only awarded to British or other Western candidates.
In 1911, Dr. Jamini left for her journey to Britain. There she obtained a Licentiate in Medicine from Rotunda Hospital in Dublin.
Jamini Sen made history when she passed a highly competitive examination to become a Fellow of the Royal Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. She was the first woman in either India or Britain to earn this prestigious fellowship.
In June 1912, Jamini travelled to Berlin to gain more knowledge. In Berlin, she learned extensively about the practical side of medicine. Under the guidance of Dr. Bremen and Dr. Mainzer, she acquired practical knowledge about clinical treatments and surgical procedures.
Dr. Jamini also had an adopted daughter who died while Jamini was in Berlin.
In December 1912, she returned to India and started to practice medicine independently. However, Jamini, along with many other Indian women physicians, had to face racial and gender discrimination despite their professional competency.
She worked in many places within India, including Agra, Shimla, Calcutta, Shikarpur, Betiah, Akola, etc. She was transferred to Shimla in the coldest months and had to face a lot of issues there as well.
Jamini was not allotted the doctors’ quarters in Shimla and had to live on the ground floor of the hospital; however, she was later asked to move to a rented house.
During her time in Shimla, she worked immensely to establish a dedicated female ward at the Ripon Hospital, but she was suddenly transferred to Shikarpur right before the ward was inaugurated in 1916. One of the British doctors commented that an Indian woman doctor was not eligible enough to lead the hospital.
In 1921, Dr. Jamini went to Britain for a second time. In England she received a public health diploma from Cambridge University and was also awarded a certificate from the London School of Tropical Medicine.
In 1924, Jamini took charge of the Buldeodas Maternity Home in India, and under her supervision the hospital grew very popular. Many nurses and midwives were trained under Jamini while she was working at the maternity home.
However, in 1929, Jamini took an extended leave and relocated to Puri to recover.
After a while, Jamini did return to Baldeodas Maternity Home, but she couldn’t stay there for long due to her deteriorating health. Dr. Jamini died in Kolkata on 22 January 1932.
Dr. Jamini Sen made history as the first woman to become a Fellow of the Royal Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow, breaking barriers in Britain and India.
Throughout her pioneering medical career, she proudly wore her traditional attire, earning the affectionate and iconic moniker "Saree-wali Daktarin Sahib" from her deeply trusted patients.