Great Equalization: Is MBBS From India Equal To M.D. In U.S.A?

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AAPI Journal • March 2009 President’s Message by Sanku Rao, M.D. Dear members, it’s my privilege to present the President’s report. AAPI Convention 2008: I am very happy to inform you that the Las Vegas Convention held in June 2008 was a success. I thank you all for the active participation in making this event a profitable one. Teleconferences: The monthly Executive Committee teleconferences are being held with an active participation from the Officers with useful discussions and exchange of ideas. In the past seven months, I visited: • Orlando, FL: Met with Chair and Co-chairs of 2009 Convention committee. • Tampa, FL: Keynote speaker at a conference held by Federation of Greater Tampa • New York: Attended the annual meeting of Federation of AAPI of Greater NY and NJ and Long Island and Queens Chapter on October 18, 2008 • Cleveland, OH: Attended the 25th Silver Jubilee meeting of APINO as a keynote speaker on November 1, 2008 • Grenada: Attended St. George University, Grenada conference on November 13, 2008 and met with Dr. Charles Modeca, Chancellor of SGU. The university has setup scholarships amounting to $500,000 which will be issued to students of Indian Origin every year and AAPI will select the awardees. • Anaheim, CA: Attended the annual meeting held jointly by Indian Medical Association of Greater Los Angeles and Indian Medical Association of Southern California on November 22, 2008. • Wichita, KS: Attended the annual meeting held by AAPI Wichita Kansas Chapter on December 12, 2008. Membership and Membership Benefits Committee are working very hard to put together a comprehensive membership package. AAPI Charitable Foundation: At the Fall Governing Body meeting held at Oklahoma City, the AAPI Charitable Foundation fundraiser dinner event was held in association with the AAPI-Oklahoma Chapter on Friday, October 24th, 2008 and raised $37,000 which will help AAPI Charitable Foundation to continue and expand its charitable activities in India and here in US. Second Indo-US Healthcare Summit: The second Indo-US summit, held from January 2nd to 4th, 2009 in New Delhi in collaboration with the Government of India and IMA was a huge success attended by more than 175 delegates both from USA & India. After the press conference and Strategic Planning Committee meeting on the 2nd followed by Johnson & Johnson sponsored dinner with key MDs and CEOs from India, Honorable Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Mr. Vayalar Ravi inaugurated the summit on 3rd morning. In his inaugural speech, Mr. Ravi said that AAPI is in a position to play a leading role in the healthcare arena given its vast expertise and skill set and informed that the Government of India would soon initiate talks Sanku Rao, M.D. AAPI President with the Medical Council of India and the Indian Medical Association to enable physicians living abroad to practice in India. Dr. Ramesh Mehta, President of British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) informed that the BAPIO will partner with AAPI from next year in the rural healthcare projects in India. The meeting aimed at bringing together caring and dedicated physicians from both the countries to focus on six disease categories – Asthma and Allergy, Cardiology, Diabetes, Infectious Disease, Maternal and Infant Health and Mental Health. Several break-out sessions were done where the US Delegates worked with their Indian counterparts on six disease states and strategic planning. The summit concluded with the summaries of recommendations from each of the disease states. Follow up with the chairs and co-chairs are being planned so that our goals are achieved and their recommendations can be presented at the upcoming annual convention. The Strategic planning committee will draw their action plan for the next five years and give recommendations on which AAPI will act. AAPI delegation met the Chief Minister of New Delhi, Honorable Mrs. Sheila Dixit and informed about our activities and goals. The Chief Minister was very gracious to offer office-space in New Delhi for AAPI. Continued on page 5 4 www.aapiusa.org
AAPI Journal • March 2009 President’s Message Continued from page 4 On January 5th, I met with Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and updated him regarding the Health Summit and need to implement the rural health care initiative. At the press conference on the afternoon of the 5th, AAPI along with Andhra Pradesh Medical Graduates (APMG) outlined our vision in implementing the rural healthcare in Andhra Pradesh. I also met with Chief Minister of Gujarat, Mr. Narendra Modi. Mr. Modi requested a proposal on a rural healthcare project in the state of Gujarat. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) in partnership with the State Government of Tamil Nadu and the Confederation of Indian Industry, (CII) organized the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas at Chennai Trade Center, Chennai, India from January 7-9, 2008. AAPI delegation was invited for the event. I was one of the panelists for the session ‘Health for All: Role of Diaspora’. Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPIO): The world’s first comprehensive healthcare organization to be named as Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPIO) was launched by the Government of India at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Chennai, India. This global consortium of healthcare professionals consists of international medical fraternaties such as American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), Canadian Association of Physicians of Indian Heritage (CAPIH) and British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO). The Consortium lays emphasis on improving health provision and addressing health inequalities in India. The consortium will promote the contribution of approximately 1.2 million physicians and dentists of Indian origin to global health and to harness their skills and expertise to address healthcare issues in India. GAPIO is fully backed by Government of India and founding members would be given membership free of charge for first two years and benefits include newsletters, access to educational programs, networking and right of access to fraternal associations and academic journal. Elected Chair: Dr. Pratap Reddy Elected vice chairs: Dr Sanku Rao (AAPI) and Dr. Ramesh Mathur (BAPIO) Honorary Healthcare Advisers: Anwar Feroz & Haresh Kaneriya, Johnson & Johnson, NJ AAPI Academic Affairs: • Develop a Directory of Academic Notables • Assist CME Committee in development of agenda with topics and speakers. AAPI CME: This year’s first CME Program was held on a Greek Island’s cruise Sept. 21 to 28th, 2008 and was successful. The CME was well done and everyone enjoyed the visit to the Greek Islands. The second CME program was held in Goa from December 28 – January 1st. The CME was very well done with interested sessions on ‘Hypertension and Cardio Metabolic Syndrome’, ‘Impaired Medical Students & Physicians’, ‘Neglected Bladder’ etc. The participants enjoyed the visit to Goa. The third CME will be on March 7th in Roswell, GA in association with Georgia Association of Physicians of Indian Heritage. Dr. P.K. Natrajan, CME Chair and Dr. Naresh Parikh, Regional Director, Southern Region are working closely to finalize the program. Externship Program: This Clinical Observership program is organized based on the model of the IMG Observership, which currently has been in existence in Oklahoma since 1999. The primary purpose of this Observership is to assist IMGs in gaining admission into US residency training programs. Currently, externship programs are in Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Boston. However, there are approximately 4,000 IMGs awaiting placement at this time. For this reason, AAPI is planning to start three new externship programs in Dallas, New York, and Michigan by April 2009, which will help improve the chances of more IMGs to gain acceptance into US residencies. Women’s Forum: This year’s Women Health Forum has been planned on March 14th, 2009 in New Jersey. The Committee is working very hard to make this event successful. Spring Governing Body: The Spring Governing Body Meeting, in association with Indian Medical Association of New England is scheduled to be held from April 10 – 12, 2009 at Boston, MA. Continued on page 7 www.aapiusa.org 5
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