IndiaPost.com - AAPI talks to US leaders on core issues

WASHINGTON: Several ranking members of the US Congress and senior Bush administration officials gave a patient ear to President Dr Hemant Patel and members of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) on a variety of issues that affect not only Indian-American physicians but the medical fraternity as a whole.

The occasion was AAPI Legislative Day on Capitol Hill last week to appraise them about issues of concern for the medical fraternity. Indian American doctors made effective use of their audience with impressive presentations of their viewpoint on various health care issues before some of the influential lawmakers.

These doctors representing more than 42,000 Indian American physicians in the US said this year health care was the major issue for them. Other issues they wanted the Congressmen, during their day-long meeting, was to bring on their legislative agenda the drastic reduction in their earnings in the past few years, simplification of the process to invite talented medical doctors to the US and protecting physicians rights. Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) suggested creation of an American health care system. He asserted such a program is not only possible but imperative and sought the help of Indian-American physicians in the task. ``Year 2009 is important in the history of health care and Congress should be concerned about protecting the health of Americans'', McDermott said.

Drawing attention to reports on a study which said that one of every five American women and one of every 25 men are either dying at a younger age or seeing no improvement in life span, he said Americans pay more for health care than any nation and yet life expectancy is declining for millions of its citizens. McDermott said there was another news report which said for about half the cost, every French citizen has access to universal health care that was rated the best by the World Health Organization.

Quoting the ABC News Online report, he said, in France there is one doctor for every 430 people while it was one for every 1,230 people in US. Average life expectancy in France was two years longer than in the US. As for the cost, the French system was one of the most expensive in the world at $ 3,500 per person but cheaper compared to$ 6,100 the United States spends for every individual. Congressman McDermott clarified he was not advocating adoption of a French system but stood for creating an American universal health care system when millions of Americans face a declining life expectancy.

He said the US does not have such a system in place because special interests have used their influence to put profits ahead of people and whenever someone tries to change it, they spend money to scare people. As physicians, he said the assembly will appreciate that in medicine if all tests showed a tumor was growing inside a patient and they did nothing about it, "it would be malpractice'' and endanger the patient. Without a universal health care program we are doing that to the American people. Commenting on the fate of Indo-US civilian nuclear deal for which AAPI lobbied on the Hill vigorously, Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY) said the ball is now on India's court.

"Until it moves from there, it does not move any further here. My concern about it not moving soon is that if it does not come soon the term of this president would expire.

Then there would be the possibility of renegotiating the agreement with a different president and you would have a different Congress, which I believe is the toughest piece. Here you only have a 123 Agreement, we think that we could get that through in this Congress; I think we would have much more difficulty in getting it through a future Congress.

This is the challenge which I see it right now. It is my hope that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh can move it within India and get it back to us so that we can get it to the NSG and they have the process take forward."

Touching upon health issues, he said teaching hospitals are very important in New York State. "We want it to be healthy institutions, with a healthy atmosphere, and also have a good economic atmosphere. We do need to look at the cuts by insurance companies. Government does not want to over involve itself, because we want to have the best people running the company, for insurance company the optimum is taking as much money and give back as little as possible, he said. Given the flawed immigration policy, the next Thomas Edison would not come from the United States. In all likelihood it is a little boy or girl in India or China.

The way we have approached immigration, the next Albert Einstein would not be able to come to the United States, he lamented. Ann V. Schaffer, Director, Arthur & Rochelle Belfer Center for American Pluralism, American Jewish Committee, said Indian doctors are also working for the good of the entire medical profession and nation. We can all credit this nation with something unique-the ability to be "hyphenated Americans." We do not have to renounce our love of, concern for and deep ties with either India or Israel. She said AJC is planning to take an AAPI delegation to Tel Aviv this month thanks to the efforts of Dr Hemant Patel who was keen on a long-term collaboration on matters of mutual interest with Israel.

Israel's expertise and technological advancement in the areas of emergency medicine and trauma care would be a model for implementation by AAPI in India.

" The growing relationship between three democracies--India, America and Israel--is strengthened by our efforts to build bonds here at home. We share alarm at the spread of worldwide terrorism and fundamentalism, and of our dependence on Middle East oil," she observed. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., (D-NJ), Evan A. Feigenbaum, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, T.C. Roberge Jr., Senior Lobbyist, American Medical Association and Joxel Garcia, Assistant Secretary for Health, US Department of Health and Human Services praised the services of AAPI and its members for doing its best to improve the healthcare of America. Dr Hemant Patel, AAPI President, said as per Council of Graduate Medical Education's study, there would be a shortage of 85,000 physicians by the year 2020. From 1980-2005, medical school enrollment had remained flat while US population had increased by more than 70 million.

To make matters worse, roughly 250,000 active physicians are expected to retire by 2020. A collaborative effort to increase the size of medical schools and number of residency positions should be taken up to meet the healthcare needs of the nation.

AAPI would support any legislation that ensured existence of the 20/200 pathway and maintains appropriate subsidies of medical school loans. Dr Patel said International Medical Graduates would comprise 21 percent of incoming residents beginning July 2008. Although they comprise roughly 1/5th of entering classes, they outnumber US medical graduates 3:1 in rural and underserved areas.