Indian American physicians emphasize primary care in meeting with Indian officials

- ADVERTISEMENT -

The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), which has been involved with efforts to help streamline medical education in India to meet the global standards, had a meeting on October 18, 2024, with the officials of the Indian Government during the ongoing Global Healthcare Summit in New Delhi.

The objective of the meeting was to advocate for and emphasize the importance of Family Practice Specialized Medical Education in India, a press release from AAPI said.

The AAPI delegation was led by President of AAPI Dr. Sateesh Kathula, Dr. Lokesh Edara, past Chairman of AAPI BOT and Global Medical Education, and Dr. Vasu Singh, AAPI Regional Director.

AAPI leaders met with the leadership council at National Institute for Transformation of (NITI) Aayog Bhavan, led by Dr. Vinod Paul, Medical Director, NITI. Other key attendees included Dr. Abhijath Sheth, President of National Board of Medical Exams (NBME), Chair of National Medical Council; Ms. V. Hekali Zhimomi, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; Dr. B. Srinivas, Secretary, NMC; Dr. Subodh Kumar, Executive Director, NBEMS; Shri Rajib Kumar Sen, NITI Aayog Program Director.

Dr. Kathula shared facts about the model of family medicine in the US and emphasized the need to expand family medicine departments and post graduate seats in India. He also shared the benefits of having family medicine in rural areas and small cities and making the 2-3 year residency program mandatory after 5 1/2 years of medical education similar to the United States, something that can improve quality of care significantly.

“There should be clear distinction between general medicine and family medicine and change the name of general medicine to internal medicine to avoid confusion,” Dr. Kathula said.

Dr. Lokesh Edara highlighted the system of allocating 25% of Post Graduate Medical Seats to Family Practice in Unted States and United Kingdom. He recommended that India allocate a minimum of 25,000 slots per year to Family Practice PG Medical students. “This strategic move is crucial for strengthening primary healthcare and addressing the needs of diverse populations across the country,” Dr. Edara said.

The high-ranking officials of the Government of India and NITI indicated their openness to incorporating these suggestions, which are aimed at aligning with the vision for 2047, ensuring that every family in India receives the care from a trained Post Graduate in Family Medicine.

Dr. Vinod Paul noted that most of the MBBS Doctors are choosing specialization and there is a concern that not many Primary Care Doctors will be left to take care of the rural population.

AAPI Global Medical Education has led this effort taking the delegation to the Indian National Board of Examinations in medical science NBEMS (nbe.edu.in) which conducts examination for the 1.8 million students and UG entrance examination across India and conducts the PG NNET entrance examination for 200,000 students annually.

Dr. Vasu Singh’s suggestion echoed those of other physicians.

Dr. Kathula hoped the hard work and exchange of ideas and challenges will benefit the medical education system in India and help tens of thousands of medical graduates coming from India to have recognition in the US.