CHENNAI: Doctors from Tamil Nadu settled in the United States have proposed to reach out to villages, the "bread basket of India," by building health care centres. A primary care centre has been proposed for Vavipalayam near Coimbatore. At Nagapattinam, the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) will set up a primary health care and mental health care units for the tsunami victims.

Doctors of the American Tamil Medical Association had collected $17,000 for the centre at Vavipalayam, said the association president, V.S. Parithivel. The AAPI, which has so far established 15 free clinics across the country, would fund the Nagapattinam project, said a U.S.-based psychiatrist Malathi Koli.

At the inaugural session of the two-day continuing medical education programme jointly organised by the association, the Tamil Nadu chapter of Association of Physicians of India and the AAPI, Dr. Parithivel said there was a paradigm shift since more patients came to India for treatment.

David T. Hopper, Consul-General, Consulate General of the United States of America, said the presence of America-based Indian doctors at the meet was evidence of "the people to people link here." He said he was pleased that the conference devoted a session to discuss HIV/AIDS.

"We are spending $30 million for AIDS care in India alone. The Centre for Disease Control is working to build capacity and provide quality health care for HIV/AIDS patients," he said. "We are proud of the strong partnership" with the State Government in tackling the disease.

Lauding the Tambaram Government Hospital of Thoracic Medicine, one of the four centres of excellence in the country, for its work in treating AIDS patients, he cited various international non-governmental institutions that funded the treatment of this pandemic and recalled the commitment made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and U.S. President, George W. Bush.

Some 60 doctors, mostly from the United States, will share knowledge of treatment methods for various diseases, including diabetes, renal failure, coronary artery diseases and tuberculosis, with 150 doctors from the State on Saturday and Sunday.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail