iNDICA News Bureau-
The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), the largest ethnic medical organization in the United States representing more than 100,000 physicians of Indian origin, will organize an in-person plenary session on the India-U.S. Healthcare Partnership with India’s Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya during its 40th annual convention in Texas in June.
The event, for which Mandaviya’s confirmation is awaited, is scheduled for Saturday, June 25, at the Henry B Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio, Dr Jayesh Shah, chair, AAPI Convention, and past president of the organization, said.
Indians make up the largest non-Caucasian segment of the American medical community. In practical terms, one in seven patients is seen by a doctor of Indian heritage in the U.S.
AAPI, instituted over four decades ago, has been leading healthcare initiatives and contributing by offering education, training and healthcare collaboration with not-for-profit and government agencies across the U.S. as well as in India.
The flagship Global Healthcare Summit (GHS) organized in India every year has been lauded for the tangible contributions AAPI continues to provide in almost every field of health care in India.
“AAPI has made immense contributions to help our motherland during the [Covid-19] crisis and played a significant role in saving lives,” Anupama Gotimukula, AAPI president, said. “Today, this esteemed panel is convened to nurture and further this collaboration between two of the world’s most challenging healthcare systems in the world’s two greatest democracies.”
The panel will be moderated by Dr Sweta Bansal and Dr Rajeev Suri, co-chairs of the AAPI convention committees. The panelists include Dr Rahul Gupta, U.S. drug czar; Taranjit Singh Sandhu, India’s ambassador in the U.S.; Aseem R Mahajan, India’s consul general in Houston; Senator John Cornyn; U.S. Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthy, Joaquin Castro and Ami Bera; Dr Dwarkanath Reddy, GHS 2022 India chair; and Navdeep S Jaikaria, founder, chairman & CEO, SGN Nanopharma Inc.
The role played by the AAPI Charitable Foundation has been significant, said Dr Surendra Purohit, who chairs the foundation. He will give an update on the ’role of AAPI’s free clinics in India in the last 40 years’.
Recalling the many AAPI initiatives that helped India during the pandemic, Dr Sujeet Punnam said, “Diseases do not have borders and collaboration in health care globally is necessary for the survival of humanity. It is this reality that the recent pandemic has engraved on our collective conscience.”
The panel on ‘The Covid Crisis – AAPI physicians’ response during the largest global pandemic in over a century’ will be led by Drs Sujit Punnam, Amit Chakraborthy and Raj Bhayani.
Sewa International, which has been collaborating with AAPI to reach supplies to the neediest in India, will be represented by its president, Arun Kankani.
Dr Lokesh Edara, chair, Global Medical Education, who is well recognized by the National Medical Commission as well as medical education boards in India, will share his persistent efforts over the past three years, and how every medical school in India will have emergency medicine and family medicine in post-graduate programs.
Dr Thakor Patel will provide an update on the AAPI Sevak Project, which has been serving millions across many states. A new initiative under the AAPI leadership is ‘Adopt 75 Villages’ to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence and provide screening for chronic diseases.
Dr Satheesh Kathula, who has adopted his native village and believes that “over time, an improved village could lead to an improved region, state and country”, will present this new program, whose focus is ‘prevention is better than cure’.
During the most recent GHS in Hyderabad, Telangana, in 2022, AAPI had organized camps for screening for cervical cancer and vaccinations to prevent the cancer for 100 young women. Dr Meetha Singh, who was part of the program, will brief the audience on this initiative.
The TB eradication program by a committed team led by Dr Manoj Jain in collaboration with USAID and now functioning in several states in India will be another topic for discussion during the plenary.
Dr Gotimukula urged “AAPI members to consider joining this movement by participating and leading the India-U.S. Healthcare Partnership. AAPI will work with you in coordinating the efforts and through the support system we have in several states, will help you achieve this goal of giving back to our motherland”.
