From left: Statia Women’s Day Committee member Aisheline Maduro, Dr Dorette Courtar, Government Commissioner Alida Francis and committee members Sharmin Turner and Maya Pandt.
ST. EUSTATIUS--St. Eustatius-born gynaecologist/obstetrician (OB/GYN) Dr. Dorette Courtar was honoured for her dedication to women’s health during a ceremony at Mike van Putten Center/Lion’s Den on International Women’s Day, Tuesday, March 8.
The Statia Women’s Day Committee presented Courtar with the Ingrid Whitfield Woman of the Year Award. Committee member Aisheline Maduro said the award is a distinction given to a local woman who embodies and highlights the aspects of the global movement of women who are actively pursuing gender equality in the areas of social, economic, cultural and political achievements.
Courtar studied medicine and specialised in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at University of Maastricht. She is an accomplished OB/GYN who has worked tirelessly and enthusiastically in places such as Holland, Germany, St. Maarten and currently Statia.
In her professional life, she has been part of a number of scientific presentations and publications such as the article in the January 2009 issue of Reproductive Science entitled “Blunted autonomic response to volume expansion in formerly pre-eclamptic women with low plasma volume”.
Courtar’s dedication to healing is not solely relegated to academics. She has been a member of numerous committees and various organisations both in the Caribbean and abroad that promote medical excellence and healthy lifestyles. She has also participated in many forums educating individuals on being better stewards of their health. She has taught students at various medical universities and institutions and she lectures locally on health education and nutrition support.
Courtar returned to her native Statia, where she continues to contribute in meaningful ways to the health of the population. She is passionate about women’s health and opened a practice on the island so that local women could finally have gynaecological expertise, efficiency and competent care.
Maduro said Courtar’s decision to base her OB/GYN practice locally gives the women of Statia a luxury that many other Caribbean islands long for, and the community would do well in putting its full support behind it.
“Behind all the professional accolades is a woman who enjoys singing, being with her dogs, fitness, holistic healing methods and integrative medicine.”
Courtar’s dedication and her tenacity in the face of opposition and exclusion make her deserving of being the recipient of this year’s award and she is an example of breaking the bias and pursuing equality for women in the social, economic, cultural and political arenas, Maduro said.
Government Commissioner Alida Francis said Courtar has skilfully deconstructed barriers to success imposed by the antiquated patriarchal society intent on keeping women in their place and has ignored the societal limits and shattered the proverbial glass ceiling.
A section of the audience.
Francis said, “The doctor’s achievements being celebrated today are a manifestation of how far we have come as a people in accepting that girls and women are as intelligent, creative, passionate and capable as their male counterparts of achieving great things. After all, our society has been and continues to be built on the strength of our women.”
Francis highlighted women such as the late Gloria “Mammie” Gibbs, a stay-at-home mother who nurtured four generations of her own offspring and fostered many others, whose influence and impact will last several lifetimes, just like Christine Flanders, Oliver Berkel, Ingrid Whitfield, Leonora Sneek-Gibbs, Louise van Putten and others. She also mentioned others who excelled in their chosen professions such as Adelka Spanner, Rechelline Leerdam, Aisheline Maduro, Xiomara Balentine and Dr Jean Marie Schmidt.
Francis highlighted her schoolmate Joan Windfelde, a single mother with only a primary school education who, because of her drive and determination, today is an entrepreneur who employs others.
“We are told that we can aspire to be successful in whatever field we choose, but only to a point,” because the moment women get to excel, demonstrate assuredness in their abilities and begin to show the world that they have what it takes to be successful, the patriarchal society structure begins to feel threatened and women are asked, ‘Who do you think you are,’” Francis said. “It reminds us that in order to realise our true potential as an island, men and women must be treated as equals in every way.
“Therefore, we will know we have achieved equality when we no longer differentiate between our female and male teachers or doctors or any other professional and limits are no longer placed on the amount of ambition that girls must have, what women can aspire to become or how successful are professional women must be and we will know we have achieved equality when we no longer hold our women in Statia to a higher standard than their male counterparts, so we must break the bias.”
