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In the primitive period Mother Nature considered woman as an instinctive nurserdquo states the Historical Trajectory of Men in Nursing in India a study published by Sage Journals in May 2020 by Sathish Kumar Jayapal and Judie ArulappanThe primitive belief clearly persisted right until the 21st century if Mario Kolambelrsquos experience is anything to go by When the Malad resident who works at Fortis Hospital in Mulund as Nurse Educator cum Coordinator enrolled for a nursing course at the MGM New Bombay College of Nursing in 2009 he was the only man in a batch of 30 female studentsldquoBut It wasnrsquot really as awkward as Irsquod thought it would berdquo he tells midday ldquoGirls are nurturing by nature so they took it upon themselves to look out for me I was put up in a hostel and theyrsquod get extra food for me They also helped me with academics when I once faced a medical problemrdquoDeepa ReddyToday he adds he sees more men enter nursing But the change has been slow This despite the fact that the entry of men in nursing was approved by the Indian government back when the Madras Presidency existed The Sage Journal study notes that in a government order dated October 27 1938 Ministry of Local and SelfGovernment Department of Public Health 1938 the organisational committee constituted by Major Surgeon General NM Wilson reported the matters pertaining to the training of male nursesldquoThe first batch of male nursing students training was permitted from January 1 1939 In the GO No 156 PH dated January 17 1939 the organisational committee requested to postpone the recruitment of the male nursing students to July 1 1939 as the recruitment process would take more time The request was agreed and the recruitment of male nursing students was postponed to July 1939 Wilson 1939rdquo the study statesOf the total 7260 students who enrolled for the state governmentrsquos BSc Nursing course this year 2060 were male This accounts for 30 per cent of the seatsPrivate institutes too are seeing a similar rise Deepa Reddy head of the DY Patil Nursing College in Navi Mumbai says that this year she has 30 male students while five years ago there were 12 ldquoBeing from the nursing fraternity is a sure shot way of getting a green card for foreign countries and male nurses are in huge demand around the world It is perhaps this realisation that is leading men to look at this optionrdquo Reddy thinksMario Kolambel was the only boy in a batch that had 30 girls alongside him Today the Nursing Instructor cum Administrator at Fortis is seeing the gender gap closing up PicSatej ShindeThe reasons might be pragmatic but the choice means that young Indian men must challenge gender stereotypes that have surrounded the profession for decadesldquoYes I enrolled for a nursing course because I dreamt of going abroad But more than that I wanted to help people My mother was a nurse she retired as Senior Nursing Officer Hospital from Bandrarsquos Lilavati Hospital in 2020 I grew up with this ideal I still see her help people around us with dressing wounds or administering injections Ultimately life took a turn and I decided to stay back in Indiardquo says Kolambel who after teaching nursing for 10 years joined Fortis a year agoHis mother Mary Kolambel admits that she was not keen that her son follow in her path ldquoIt is a femaledominated profession I did not think men would do a womanrsquos job But I couldnrsquot say no to him I supported his decision Today I am very happy that I did not discourage himrdquoMariorsquos mother Mary was initially unsure about her sonrsquos decision but is now proud of the fact that she did not discourage him back then PicAishwarya DeodharBhavesh Khadye 28 who works as male nurse at Peddar Roadrsquos Jaslok Hospital graduated from the ITM College of Nursing Navi Mumbai in 2019 His decision was spurred by a motivation similar to Kolambel he says he had no qualms about being a lsquobrotherrsquo in a profession full of lsquosistersrsquomdashthe colloquial term for nurses in IndialdquoI was part of the NSS National Service Scheme a public service programme while in college and after I finished my education I wanted to continue to be of service to my country I wanted to be a doctor but didnrsquot bag a high enough percentage I was one of the 10 male students in a batch of 40 Initially it was awkward and difficult but when we got our postings and I started tending to patients the sense of fulfilment came rushing back and I knew I had made the right choicerdquo he saysWhile his parents were supportive of his decision his friends he says did send the occasional jibe his way ldquoIt didnrsquot matterrdquo he says ldquoNone of them can do what I can Patients too are surprised when they see us at work Especially the elderly who are not used to male nurses They think we are ward boys But once they experience our work their doubts dissipate We cannot blame them It is we who have to change the mindsetrdquoBhavesh Khadye left a nurse at Jaslok Hospital finds his job fulfilling and enriching as he gets to give back to society something he has always tried to do since his youthKolambel says that opportunities are getting better within the country to ldquoI have seen nurses go from bedside work to the boardroom They have onground experience and hence are a strong voice in the hospital They are consulted on important matters their opinion counts I am proof of thisrdquoBesides adds Reddy men are able to do the heavy lifting and useful in emergency situations and critical care The industry is realising this and the demand for male nurses is increasingldquoOf course there are concerns like sexual harassment which the industry has taken note of over the years Today if a male nurse is tending to a female patient we make sure there is at least one female nurse present It puts both the nurse and the patient at easerdquo she addsIn a study published in the International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences in 2022 a sixmember team conducted a survey among 400 participants at a tertiary care hospital in Uttarakhand The survey found that 675 per cent of participants were neutral towards male nurses but among the remaining respondents 193 per cent had a negative perception and only 132 per cent were positive The literacy levels among the patients was seen to be a significant predictor of how they perceived male nurses the study found while also reporting that 587 per cent disagreed with the lsquofemininersquo image of nursing as a profession and 895 per cent had no gender preference for nurses caring for themKolambel puts it best ldquoOnce a patient is in ER or at the operating table it doesnrsquot matter whether the nurse tending to them is a man or womanrdquo30 per centNumber of seats occupied by male students who enrolled for the state governmentrsquos BSc Nursing course this year1230Jump in number of male nursing student applications at Navi Mumbairsquos DY Patil Nursing College in 5 yearsNot a manrsquos world675 per centNeutral to male nurses193 per centNegative perception587 per centDisagreed with lsquofemininersquo image of nursing895 per centNo gender preference for nursesCourtesy International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences 2022 survey of 400 at tertiary care hospital Uttarakhand