best frienD

For service to medicine in the field of urogynaecology

BY USHA ramanUJam arvind

While bowels and bladders are often a no-go zone for many, Professor Ajay Rane, head of obstetrics and gynaecology at James Cook University’s School of Medicine, has dedicated his career to improving the pelvic health of women.

The gregarious UK-born, Indiaraised and British-trained Dr Rane moved to remote north Queensland to found the department of urogynaecology at the Townsville Hospital.

The Pelvic Health Unit, a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, one-of-its-kind service in regional Australia which Dr Rane heads, is ‘at the forefront in research and treatment of debilitating bowel and bladder conditions, offering compassionate and minimally invasive therapies for their ailments’.

Since 1997, Dr Rane has brought dignity to the lives of numerous women. It is estimated that at least a quarter of women worldwide suffer silently because of the stigma associated with the issue.

Little wonder then that he is often affectionately referred to as the Saint of Townsville, and a woman’s best friend.

Dr Rane was conferred the Medal of Order of Australia (OAM) on Australia Day this year, for services in the field of medicine.

“For someone who has spent only fifteen years in this country, the recognition is a humbling one,” he confessed.

“It is more a recognition of women’s suffering. I have been very blessed for the opportunity to serve in a community that has never been serviced before. Whether it is the haves or the have not, there is always so much