Dear Sir,

In Kisangani, Meditz et al.,[ 9 ] there were no women in law, medicine, or government as of 1979, despite being 19 years post-independence. Since the 1990s, there has been significant advancement for women in the professions, including civil service, military, academia, and medicine.

Certainly, there is still marked inequality for African women surgeons, particularly for neurosurgeons in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Female neurosurgeons in the DRC typically experience a lack of respect, are subject to harassment, and are typically offered inferior professional roles and lower salaries than their male counterparts.[ 9 , 10 ] Sarah Mutomb [ Figure 1 ], the first female neurosurgeon in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), was born in 1986, completed medical school in 2004, and became the first female neurosurgeon in the DRC in 2019 [ Figures 2 and 3 ]. Here, we explore her remarkable life.

Figure 1:

(a and b) Sarah Mutomb presenting her thesis defense.

Figure 2:

Concluding the thesis defense alongside the jury president and her peers.

Figure 3:

Sarah engaged in a surgical procedure.

LIFE AND CAREER

Sarah Mutomb was born in 1986 in Lubumbashi (i.e., the second largest city in the DRC) to a father who was a surgeon. She received a baccalaureate in Biology/Chemistry in 2004 and went to Medical School at the University of Lubumbashi, receiving her MD degree in 2012 [ Figure 4 ]. The title of her thesis was; “The Management of Post-Partum Hemorrhage.” Between 2012 and 2013, her grandmother required an anterior cervical diskectomy/fusion that was performed in Harare as Lubumbashi (i.e., population nearly 2 million/area of 747 km²) had no neurosurgeons. This prompted her to enroll in a neurosurgery residency in 2013 at the University of Algiers, a program supported by WFNS, an “Africa One Hundred” initiative, a program for enhancement of neurosurgical education in developing nations (i.e., Africa). Due to racism and harassment, she left that program. Next, Professor Kazadi Kalangu, the head of neurosurgery at the University of Harare in Zimbabwe, helped enlist her in the neurosurgery program at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal. She started her residency in the Neurosurgery Department at the Center Hospitalier National Universitaire de Fann under Professor Seydou Boubakar Badiane; she was the only female in the program throughout its duration. Between 2014 and 2019, she completed the residency after writing a dissertation [ Figure 5 ], “The Management of Giant Intracranial Aneurysms in Dakar.” Nevertheless, once in neurosurgical practice in the DRC, many patients were hesitant to trust her. They often openly questioned, “How can a woman perform surgeries, particularly at such a young age?” Her father recommended she be patient, and do her job. Two decades after commencing her studies at the DRC University of Lubumbashi, she returned to the same neurosurgery faculty in the DRC as an educator, furthering her specialization in neuroendoscopy.

Figure 4:

General medicine diploma.

Figure 5:

Specialty diploma.

DISCUSSION

The DRC is the second largest nation in Africa, with a population of 111 million; 51% are women, and 48% are under the age of 15.[ 4 ] In a male dominated society, 27% of women in the DRC are subjected to multiple discriminatory work practices.[ 1 , 5 , 15 ] Notably, Articles 5, 14, and 15 of the DRC Constitution assert that a husband possesses rights over his wife’s property, regardless of any stipulations in their marriage contract.[ 2 - 4 , 7 , 9 , 16 ] Furthermore, women must secure their husband’s consent before accepting any employment opportunity.[ 6 , 9 , 12 , 14 ] Since the 1990s, women have made notable strides in the workforce but continue to experience under-representation in senior roles and typically receive lower wages than their male counterparts performing the same jobs.[ 17 , 18 ] Interestingly, females now represent 30% of all physicians in the DRC; nevertheless, only two of the 19 DRC neurosurgeons are women.[ 8 , 11 , 13 ] Sarah Mutomb, the first pioneering female neurosurgeon in the DRC, overcame many obstacles throughout her education, including racism, gender bias, and outright discrimination, to become the extraordinary professional that she is today.

CONCLUSION

Sarah Mutomb, the first female neurosurgeon in the DRC, overcame multiple personal and professional obstacles put in her way to become the consummate neurosurgical professional that she is today.

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Journal or its management. The information contained in this article should not be considered to be medical advice; patients should consult their own physicians for advice as to their specific medical needs.

Acknowledgment

The author would like to express his sincere gratitude to Dr. Sarah Mutomb for generously taking the time to respond to his inquiries through WhatsApp on multiple occasions. Furthermore, he is grateful to her for providing him with the pictures that he has included in this paper.

References

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