India Post News Service

CHICAGO: The Association of American Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), a premiere organization of Indian Americans in this country, has launched two pilot projects in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh as part of their on going efforts to help the health care system in the country, according tom Dr. Hemant Patel, the APPI President.

Dr. Patel has just returned from India attending recently held Indo-US Healthcare Summit and Prabasi Bharatiya Day 2008 in New Delhi He said that AAPI had decided to expand the scope of its work to help in early detection of diseases that are major killers in the country.

He highlighted AAPI's role in improving the medical education medical education and connectivity of physicians of Indian origin in America with villages in India, taking forward their commitment to help India improve healthcare in rural areas. Dr. Hemant Patel was invited by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs to address the plenary on Social Development Challenges in India: Health & Education that was moderated by Prof Deepak Nayyar, Member, Knowledge Commission.

Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, delivered the keynote address. Dr. Patel shared the dais with several eminent business persons including Rajashree Birla; Dr. S S Badrinath, Chairman Emeritus, Sankara Nethralaya; Analjit Singh, Chairman, Max India Group of Companies; Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman, GOPIO and Prof Ruby Pawankar, Nippon Medical School;. The plenary had the highest attendance in all the sessions of the PBD.

"We have selected six specific areas - carcinoma of cervix, carcinoma of prostate, heart diseases, diabetes, deafness at birth and emergency medical system (EMS)," Dr. Hemant Patel, said. The pilot projects will see all people in a village each in 38 districts of Bihar and 23 in Andhra Pradesh being screened for some of the major life threatening problems, which if detected early can be treated.

Addressing the APPI sponsored Indo-US Healthcare Summit organized in New Delhi, Indian Health Minister, Dr.Ramadoss lauded the first ever public private initiative between the Government of India and. AAPI President Dr. Hemant Patel underlined three things in his speech. First, the AAPI dedication and commitment to improving healthcare in India.

"By targeting a number of therapeutic areas, we are able to bring out best practices and treatment options and share ways on how to truly improve healthcare for Indians," he said. Second, the event would lead to a deepening the partnerships and alliances across the healthcare spectrum and later on across the world.

"The Summit has a robust agenda that includes a number of collaborators, partners and friends. From the Government of India to think tanks and the media, we all recognize that only by working together can we attempt to solve the healthcare challenges that face us in India and beyond," he observed.

Third, the gathering demonstrated a hallmark of good health systems everywhere and about medical leadership. He thanked the Indian government, the Indian Medical Association and Medical Council of India for their efforts to make the Convention a success.

Dr. Ved Prakash Mishra, the chairman of the post graduate medical education committee of the Medical Council of India (MCI) and vice chancellor of Datta Meghe University of Medical Sciences, Nagpur, played a stellar role in collaborating with AAPI organizing the Indo-US Health Care. The interest shown by the leadership and members of AAPI is viewed as a definite commitment and concern towards the welfare of rural population in India.

AAPI 's involvement would go a long way in the development of medical education faculty and standardization of accredited health care facilities. As part of the Indo-US Health Care Summit recommendations, AAPI has decided to forge meaningful relationship with medical colleges in India to improve the quality of education and make it on par with global standards, pointed out Dr. Patel. G. Gurucharan, joint secretary, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs of Government of India, is credited with the view that AAPI is one of the most important professional organizations of overseas Indians.

For the first time, his Ministry had joined hands with AAPI to work in the field of non-communicable diseases with pilot projects in Bihar and AP. Now AAPI is ready to sign an MOU with the Ministry of Health and with two ministries now getting involved, it has become a four-party engagement with state governments and AAPI being the other two key players.

Hailing AAPI's Summit as a pioneering move, he mentioned the Indian government is also looking at the possibility of involving World Bank and UNESCO in the task as there is a sync in the objectives of providing health care to the masses.

Dr Hemant Patel and his team of physicians from the US visited SMS Medical College and Super Specialty Hospital in Jaipur, Rajasthan, in December to study the possibilities of partnering with the institution to share common knowledge and skills.

The three-hour discussion with Dr. Ashok Panagariya, professor and head of neurology and director of SMS Medical College and Hospitals has resulted in the institution starting a one-year diploma program on Pulmonary Critical Care Medicine for the first time in India with the support of AAPI and College's Department of Pulmonary Medicine.

The AAPI tem of doctors had also meetings with Indian Prime Minister Dr. Singh and President Ms Pratibha Patil