A reputed, compassionate, and committed gynecologist, Dr. med. Anke Irmela Ertan(Gynaecologist, West Bay Medicare) is an allrounder with experience in obstetrics & gynaecology since 1994. Her medical specialties encompass additional expertise in ultrasound diagnostics in OB-GYN including doppler sonography. She has exceptional 10 years of experience in gynaecological endocrinology and preventive medicine including natural treatment forms for Chronic stress, neuro-stress, and microbiome treatment. Anke is a dynamic medical professional who comes from a rich educational background and has extensive internship and unmatched clinical experiences.

During her practical training, Dr. Ertan chose internal medicine, general surgery, and OB-GYN as her subject and was amazed by the diverse aspects including deliveries, surgeries, gynaecological endocrinology, and cancer treatments as part of OB&GYN scope. She saw tremendous chances for OB&GYN scope in Germany to specialize in intensive surgical training, ultrasound diagnostic, and breast diagnostics & treatment. With her extraordinary skills & knowledge, she was able to start her private practice in Landstuhl after passing the exam for the specialization in OB-GYN in early 2000. Anke has also conducted significant research on stress-associated diseases and explained physiological biochemical processes in the human body in a published booklet- Erfolgreich Gegen Stress ( successful against stress)- in cooperation with LR Health& Beauty and went on a tour all over Germany & Austria for about two years and then started her private practice in Cologne for OB-GYN including stress prevention.

Anke has also been associated with multiple social activities during her practice in Landstuhl wherein she visited schools to educate girls on puberty and contraceptive methods in cooperation with the AEGGF, a medical association of female medical doctors to improve the health awareness of women. Additionally, she also offered breast awareness classes for women helping them learn to self-examine their breasts to be able to detect the early symptoms of breast cancer. Approbated by the Ministry of Women Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Saarland, Saarbrücken in Germany, Anke is a dedicated doctor who is committed to a mission to empower women to take responsibility for their health and coordinate care for an array of health experiences. Let’s lend her an ear while she talks about her journey and more.

How has your journey with West Bay Medicare been so far?

In the year 2017, I was contacted by Dr. Husam Qush (acting Chief Medical Director of West Bay Medicare) when the company was still under construction. Soon after that I visited Qatar and had the chance to meet the management and understood their vision which is ‘Inspire Happiness through Health’. I was certainly amazed by the company’s facility, and its new technologies, including the unique breast CT and the visionary approach. I instantly grabbed the opportunity to support West Bay Medicare as a Consultant for OB-GYN and was thrilled to start a completely new journey in a new country.

In my first year in Qatar, when I had just started focusing on adapting to the new health system, and insurance system and building up my reputation as a newcomer in the country, the pandemic happened. The pandemic made external activities impossible. We nevertheless continued offering campaigns for breast cancer awareness which we did since the very beginning of our facility. I am very proud to be a part of the established center of excellence with a multidisciplinary team of doctors from all over the world covering nearly all subspecialities.

Share with us some of the unique facilities of West Bay Medicare.

We have a fabulous radiology with a unique breast CT facility, which requires no squeezing anymore and improves the acceptance by our female patients tremendously. We also offer capsule endoscopy and coronary CT angiography to name only few.

Our OB-GYN clinic covers all possible problems including infertility treatments and surgical intervention, which do not require intensive care. We cooperate with numerous clinics all over Doha to find the right support for each patient. For all doctors at West Bay Medicare, their patients come first. Apart from being experts in handling complicated cases, we all contribute with ideas, solutions, and suggestions for safety, workflow, and every other issue as a team to push the facility further.

One member of our team member, Professor Abdurrahim Kubilay Ertan, who happens to be my husband, used to be the Head of the Department of a huge OB-GYN clinic in Germany including a breast care unit. He is a specialist in minimally invasive surgery including robotic surgery. I leave most of my surgical intervention to him or Dr. Qush, who is a very successful infertility specialist. Our team is completed by Dr. Dina Shalaby who is a well-reputed associated gynaecologist.

West Bay Medicare is a well-established medical center with nearly all subspecialities with around 40 active doctors in the outpatient department, several Anesthesiologists for our surgical interventions, and radiology, laboratory, and physiotherapy.

"I am very proud to be a part of the established center of excellence with a multidisciplinary team of doctors from all over the world covering nearly all subspecialities"

Throw some light on the most critical challenges you face as a healthcare practitioner. What steps do you take to overcome the roadblocks?

The biggest challenge in Qatar is to align the expectations of patients with their insurance coverage. I would wish that more policies would cover preventive measures because keeping patients safe and healthy is of course the main goal. Secondly, all codes for diagnoses and procedures cannot represent special cases, although individualized treatment options are increasing more and more in medicine. Health is used as an economic good, sometimes forgetting that we are not dealing with numbers but with patients and their lives, individual risks, fears, and challenges. But how will you code this? A person is so much more than a diagnosis code or procedure code.

Another important topic for Women in Qatar is menopausal health. The knowledge about typical changes and problems associated with menopause need to be improved.

I always follow one rule; what I can change, I fight for, but if I have no option of influence, I accept it. The older I get the easier I can distinguish between both.

What are some of the most significant milestones that you have achieved throughout your professional journey? What has been the driving force behind your success?

My journey has been a series of milestones; the first milestone was when I was able to finalize medical school and achieve a doctor’s degree. My second milestone was the time when I completed the residency with a passed consultant exam and my third milestone was my first owned private practice in Landstuhl which happened at the age of 32. And at last, achieving broad acceptance and appreciation in a foreign country in such a short time has been my greatest achievement. From a personal perspective, I have three wonderful kids who act as the greatest driving force behind all my endeavors.

"Achieving broad acceptance and appreciation in a foreign country in such a short time has been my greatest achievement"

Drawing from your experience as a business leader, what would your advice be to young women who aspire to become business leaders and entrepreneurs in the future?

The worst boundaries are those in our minds, we must be nice to ourselves, and not let others decide who we are. I would advise young aspirants to believe in themselves; there is a high possibility of achieving everything if not given up easily. It is crucial to remember that failing is part of the journey; successful people fail too, but they stand up again even taller. Failing is only a problem if we do not learn from our mistakes, since mistakes are part of human nature.

Anke Irmela Ertan, Gynaecologist, West Bay Medicare

Having a Medical Approbation from the University of Saarland, Germany, and a qualification as a Consultant for OB-GYN, Anke is an OB-GYN specialist with 28 years of clinical experience. Additionally, she has various training courses related to Consultation Genetic disorders, and preventive Medicine and also has a Master’s Diploma in Business Administration for Public Health.

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