iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
The 16th annual Global Healthcare Summit (GHS) organized by the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) concluded with a call and commitment to give back to India, making healthcare accessible, efficient, and equitable for all, at Hotel Novotel on Varun Beach in Vishakhapatnam on January 8.
Attended by nearly 500 delegates from the United States and India, the three-day GHS 2023 was jointly organized by AAPI and the local organizing committee at Visakhapatnam.
Dr Ravi Kolli, President of AAPI, said, “The Global Healthcare Summit has served as a means to raising awareness on key health care issues affecting the Indian subcontinent, such as the stigma of mental illness, suicide prevention, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, women’s and children’s health, blindness prevention, hepatitis, etc.”
He added, “The highlight of this summit was to reaffirm NRI physicians’ commitment towards improving healthcare and creating model programs for management of various diseases and to improve outcomes universally.”
Dr. V. Ranga, chair of AAPI BOT said, “Our deliberations included discussions on the stigma of mental illness, suicide prevention, management of chronic and non-communicable diseases, and other global health issues, including climate change and its impact on population health.”
AAPI said it plans to collaborate with various state and federal government programs to enhance the quality of healthcare delivery, making it affordable, efficient, and equitable, improving health outcomes universally and training the trainer sessions involving learning modules in different specialties, and tele-consultations.
Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy urged AAPI members to “give back something to society, which has given them an opportunity to pursue medical education and become successful in India and abroad.”
He said, “I’m sure this platform will bring together the best in the healthcare field to provide innovative solutions for the universal challenges.”
Summit chief guest Vidadala Rajini, the minister for health, family welfare and medical education in Andhra Pradesh, said, “The Global Healthcare Summit is an important opportunity for all the healthcare professionals to learn from each other and enhance fellowship. I’m grateful to have this opportunity to attend and learn from all of you.”
Among others who addressed the event included Gudivada Amarnath, Andhra Pradesh’s IT minister.
Dr Ravi Raju, chair of GHS (India) 2023 said, “We are sure that the summit offered a rewarding experience not only on intellectual but on aesthetic front as well, with the scenic beauty of Visakhapatnam and the many surrounding places.”
Dr. Prasad Chalasani, chair of GHS (USA) 2023 said, “We have tried to create an intellectually charged platform for experts to share their knowledge and experiences on some of the common professional issues that remain a challenge in spite of all the advances. The exchange of expertise and transfer of technology by the best brains is bound to offer positive and innovative solutions to some of the problems faced by humankind.”
Among the many programs that emerged from GHS 2023, a notable action plan has been for AAPI to collaborate with the government of Andhra Pradesh to initiate an ambitious program to address mental health and wellness of students in high school in the state.
Some of the other initiatives that were announced during the GHS 2023 included: effective treatment modalities on non-communicable medical diseases, reducing the infant and maternal mortality and HPV Vaccination.
“We at AAPI, in keeping with our efforts and initiatives to educate, create awareness and provide support on disease prevention, are happy to be part of the HPV Vaccine Awareness Program,” Dr. Ravi Kolli, President of AAPI said.
The summit also featured a CEO Forum, where several CEOs from hospitals, teaching institutions, pharmaceutical firms, and medical devices and technology companies, joined to explore potential opportunities for collaboration.
In his closing remarks, Dr. Ravi Kolli said, “The Global Healthcare Summit held annually in India across several states, has become a major contributing factor, where Indian American Doctors focus on various programs and policies in our efforts to make a huge difference in the delivery of healthcare in India.”
