NRI physicians to combat AIDS in India

[Guest guest]

Indian American physicians to combat AIDS in India

WASHINGTON: The most influential international

organisation of Indian American doctors in the US,

apparently tired of waiting for Indian health

authorities to take initiatives to address the

HIV/AIDS pandemic, has established a task force to

confront this scourge head-on.

Dr. Dayanand Naik, president of the American

Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI),

said this was the outcome of the group's special

strategy session held during its recent governing body

meeting where the focus of the discussions was on the

issue of AIDS in India.

" Outside of Africa, " Naik said, " India likely has the

world's worrisome AIDS crisis and prevention efforts

have been started late. "

Naik said the meeting, attended by key leaders of the

association from across the US, was devoted to

learning more about the spread of AIDS in India and

how " AAPI can most effectively participate in

solutions to what has become a crisis. "

He said, " any campaign to prevent current trends in

the spread of the disease will have to include

education, grassroots awareness, and changing many

social conditions. "

The meeting was also attended by Kathy Kulkarni, chief

healthcare aide to Rep. Pallone, New Jersey

Democrat, and founder and former co-chair of the

Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans;

and Dum, legislative aide to Rep. Jim McDermott,

Washington Democrat, current co-chair of the Caucus,

who has visited India as many as 15 times, the

majority of his trips being to research AIDS,

particularly in the red-light districts of Mumbai and

Kolkata.

Naik said the AAPI task force on AIDS, which he will

chair, would consist not only of AAPI members, but

non-physicians who have expertise in the field and

lawmakers like Pallone and McDermott, who have offered

them full support and have already introduced

legislation and taken to the floor of the House to

convince the US Congress to appropriate more funding

for AIDS in developing countries, particularly India.

Naik said the task force would endeavour to link up

with Indian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that

have been working on alleviating the AIDS epidemic and

know the situation on the ground first-hand. AAPI

would also work toward the development of a

multi-disciplinary AIDS conference in New Delhi.

" The plan will need to include steps for immediate

action, " he said, but " with a population of one

billion people, results won't happen overnight. We

need to find long term solutions to meet this

challenge and make sure that the Indian people

understand our concern for their health. "

Physicians also heard two Indian American researchers

- Ketan Joshi and Ushma Upadhyay, both with the s

Hopkins University in Baltimore, land, considered

one of the best research centres for AIDS in the US -

who provided an overview of the latest statistical

reports as well as an update on the government and

private sector efforts to address the epidemic in

India.

Meanwhile, Naik said a new AAPI program aimed at

enhancing communications with medical colleges in

India, has garnered an " extremely positive response

from the 147 Indian medical schools we wrote to. "

In missives to these schools, Naik and Navin Mehta,

AAPI's Alumni Committee chairman, had conveyed the

association's interest to establish better links

between Indian American doctors and their alma maters

in India.

The rationale was that AAPI, by serving as a

facilitator, would be able to foster the development

of improved health care services, as well as advanced

medical education and training opportunities in India.

This was to include scholarships for students in India

who excel academically and additional exchange

programs for graduate students and medical faculty.

" They have expressed their strong desire and readiness

to work together with us and they want more CME

(continuing medical education), more alumni to visit

and to help improve quality care in India, and also

award more scholarships, " Naik said. " A committee has

been formed to address this and so we are really

gearing up in that direction to communicate better and

improve the relationship. " (IANS)

http://www.timesofindia.com/120501/12hlth9.htm (May

12, 2001)