Pune, June 1 (IANS): The Association of Surgeons in India has launched its women's wing in order to provide an edge to women doctors in the field of surgery, a statement from the association said here Monday.

The women's wing, currently comprising 700 member-surgeons, aims to help female patients who do not wish to be examined by a male doctor due to social reasons.

"The women's surgeons wing will create a social awakening among the women of India and motivate many female medical students to build a career in surgery," said Jayashree Todkar, the wing's convenor and director of Pune-based Obesity Soultions.

Todkar is the first female bariatric surgeon of Asia and has been in the profession for the last 20 years.

"There is a lot of bias in society. People prefer a male doctor whenever considering surgery. In fact, people make their own opinions against female surgeons, which needs to be stopped," the doctor said.

"This wing will help in ensuring proper representation of female surgeons," she told IANS.

The women's wing was launched by state Rural Development Minister Pankaja Munde.

Munde said it was a positive step towards women empowerment. "I am confident that the wing will certainly counter barriers to women's full participation in the field of medical surgery and change society's current biased views of women," she said.