Aim of the summit is advancing the accessibility, affordability and the quality of world-class healthcare to the people of India.Â
Bureau Report
WASHINGTON, DC: Despite its growing reputation for medical tourism and top notch surgeons, India languishes in basic healthcare infrastructure for much of its rural masses. Now some of the largest group of medicos of Indian origin are banding together with a common new year’s resolution: to seek innovative, efficient and cost effective healthcare solutions for the country.
The AAPI Global Healthcare Summit 2013 (GHS), to be held in Kochi in Kerala, India, from January 1-3, organized by the Association of American Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPIO) and Indian Medical Association (IMA), in collaboration with India’s Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs & Ministry of Health, with participation from some of the world’s renowned physicians and industry leaders, will explore possibilities for greater collaboration and cooperation between the physicians and health care providers in India with those of Indian origin physicians and major healthcare providers abroad.
The summit is aimed at advancing the accessibility, affordability and the quality of world-class healthcare to the people of India. Among other areas, it will focus on prevention, diagnosis, treatment options and share ways to improve healthcare transcending global boundaries.
“AAPI USA has been actively engaged in harnessing the power of Indian Medical Diaspora,†Dr. Narendra Kumar, President of AAPI, said. “In our efforts to realize these goals, we have successfully gained the support of several leading healthcare experts and professional physician associations, including GAPIO and IMA to collaborate on this ground breaking international healthcare summit, designed to bring the best, cost effective quality healthcare solutions to the people of India.â€
According to Kumar, “Our ability to share knowledge and influence the medical world has never been greater. With the advancement of modern technology, the quality of care we provide and the values that we support can reverberate around the world as it never been before.â€
AAPI is the largest ethnic medical organization in the United States and represents the interests of more than 65,000 physicians and about 35,000 medical students and residents of Indian origin and heritage. It is an umbrella organization with nearly 130 specialty societies and alumni organizations under its fold.
The Kochi summit is a progressive transformation from the first Indo-US Healthcare Summit launched by AAPI USA in 2007 under the leadership of Dr. Hemant Patel.
“Providing a forum for innovative opportunities for learning, networking and giving back to our motherland have enabled us to receive confirmation and endorsement from over 300 very prominent and talented physicians and surgeons from abroad, who are very passionate about serving their homeland, mother India,†Kumar added.
During the past five Indo-US Summits, AAPI has been instrumental in developing strategic alliances with various other medical organizations.
“It is this experience and the resulting relationships that have enabled us to organize this outstanding event,†Dr. Jayesh Shah, President-Elect of AAPI, said, of the forthcoming summit.
The summit, which is a public-private initiative between the Government of India and AAPI, is all about dedication and commitment of Indian American physicians to improving healthcare in India, said Shah.
“This convention will display how well the Indian doctors have shown themselves as an effective force in the medical world in USA,†Dr. Ravi Jahagirdar, Vice President of AAPI, said.
The GHS will include a scientific program developed by leading experts with contributions by the Scientific Advisory Board and International Scientific Committee, which will includes high priority areas like Cardiology, Diabetes, Oncology, Surgery, Mental Health, Maternal and Child Health, Allergy-Immunology and Lung Health, Health Information Technology (HIT), and the impact of co-morbidities, Jahagirdar elaborated.
Featuring plenary sessions, interactive roundtables, clinical practice workshops, and meet-the-expert sessions, the first ever scientific poster session will facilitate dissemination and exchange of best practices. More than 100 opinion leaders and expert speakers from across the globe will present cutting-edge scientific findings related to clinical practice, and the dozens of Chairs and speakers will represent major centers of excellence, institutions and professional associations.
For the first time at GHS, a Healthcare CEO Forum representing CEOs from around the world and from major hospitals, teaching institutions and healthcare industry sectors, including pharmaceutical, medical devices and technology, will join together to explore potential opportunities for collaboration, Kumar said.
Omar Ishrak, Chairman and CEO of Medtronic, will be the keynote speaker at the Summit. The company is the world’s leading medical technology company, with more than $16 billion in annual revenue, and operations reaching more than 120 countries worldwide. Medtronic provides therapies that are used to treat a wide range of conditions, including cardiac and vascular diseases, diabetes, neurological and spinal conditions.
Expected to have over 1,000 participants from across the globe, keynote speakers and expert panels will include Jeremy Lazarus, MD (President, American Medical Association), Emmanuel G. Cassimatis, MD (President and CEO, ECFMG USA), P.K. Pradhan, Principal Health Secretary, India, and Dr. Jagdish Prasad, Director General of Health Services, India. Prominent speakers from the United States also include: Dr. Dilip Jeste, President of American Psychiatric Association, Dr. Dattatreyudu Nori, Professor of Oncology, The New York Presbyterian Hospital, and Dr. Mani Menon, Professor of Urology & Robotic Surgery, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit.
Among others representing the Government of India and addressing the Summit are: India’s Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Vayalar Ravi, India’s Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Chief Minister of Kerala, Oommen Chandy, Kerala Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar, Kerala Tourism Minister A.P. Anil Kumar, prominent state political leaders Ramesh Chennithala, Pinarayi Vijayan, and Sreemathy Teacher, and Advisor to the Prime Minister of India, T.K.A Nair.
Top honchos of the Indian medical fraternity will be speaking at the panel and interacting with their peers from abroad. Some of them include: Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Group of Hospitals; Devi Prasad Shetty, MD, Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital; Dr. P. Mahalingam, Chairman, Santosh University, Delhi-NCR, Dr. K.K. Talwar, Chairman, Medical Council of India, Dr. Shiv Kumar Sarin, former Chairman, Medical Council of India, Dr. Ranjan Pai, CEO, Manipal University, Dr. G.N. Singh, Drug Controller General of India, Dr. Eshwar Reddy, Device Controller of India, Dr. Girdhar Gyani, Secretary General, Quality Council of India, Dr. Rajan Badwe, Director, Tata Memorial Hospital, Dr. K. Vijay Kumar, President, Indian Medical Association, M. Ayyappan, CMD, Lifecare HLL, Dr. Prem Nair, Medical Director, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, and Dr. Azad Moopen, Chairman, Aster Medicity & DM Healthcare.