#IWD2025: Dr Chye Ping Ching Breaking Barriers in Medicine

13 March 2025

She disassembled clocks, radios, and bicycles before she rebuilt lives. Tools that once fascinated a curious girl would later help her save patients. This International Women's Day, an orthopaedic surgeon's hands tell a story of breaking barriers. Here's Dr. Chye's story. 

“I was the youngest child with nobody to play with, so I stuck close to my father, a music teacher who loved carpentry as a hobby and fixed musical instruments for his students. His workshop became my playground. I was incredibly naughty, taking things apart with screwdrivers and pliers to understand how alarm clocks made sound, how people talked through TVs, how engines moved cars. I thought I'd become an engineer.

At secondary school, I became more serious about reading. I realised there was knowledge beyond what I could physically dismantle. My path shifted when my father's diabetes and high blood pressure exposed me to hospitals at a young age. Something clicked—I wanted to be a doctor.

When I told my father, his first response surprised me: 'Really? As a woman, it's going to be tough.' But seeing my determination, he simply advised me to study properly and commit fully because there would be no turning back.

I did very well in my Obstetrics and Gynaecology posting during my final year in medical school. I was on the verge of sitting for the MRCOG Part 1 exam when I was called to report for duty as a house officer. My first posting was in Orthopaedics Surgery. It was challenging, but when I discovered orthopaedics used many tools, my childhood fascination reignited. I remember volunteering to place a screw during a hip surgery when other medical officers struggled. I succeeded on my first try.

This path was demanding in ways outsiders cannot comprehend, but completely worth it. Being a doctor requires more than surgical skills—it demands people management.

I never felt different because I was female. My father supported me completely, teaching me everything I was interested in. 'Women can do what men can do,' he always said. With that foundation, I established the Orthopaedic Oncology team in a government hospital, spending 11 years teaching everything I knew until my successor could run the department without me.

Don't limit yourself just because you're a woman. When there's a will, there's a way with the right mindset. Yes, being a woman means juggling more roles at work and home but find time to enjoy yourself. Your motivation must come from within, though parents provide that crucial foundation.

Know what you truly want. Once you set your mind to it, achieve it and never give up.”

This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the strength, resilience, and dedication of women everywhere.

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