Our Bureau
(Washington, DC
Healthcare continues to be the center of the nation’s focus, especially as the nation is seeking ways to effectively combat the deadly virus, COVID-19, AAPI’s annual legislative day, comes to be a vital part of AAPI’s growing influence and having its united voice heard in the corridors of power. “We are excited to announce that our next Legislative Day is on Wednesday, May 19th in Washington, DC,” said Dr Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, President of AAPI. “We expect to have the participation from dozens of key Congressmen and Senators. The annual Legislative Day will be a unique opportunity for AAPI to be part of the decision making process on matters related to healthcare.”
“Our daytime program begins at 9:00 am and will include lunch in the U.S. House of Representatives. We will conclude in the afternoon, giving participants the opportunity to meet their own Congressman/Senator on their own time. That evening, we are planning for a reception and dinner with several dignitaries at the Indian Embassy,” summarized Dr Jonnalgadda.
AAPI represents the interests of over 80,000 physicians and 30,000 medical students and residents of Indian heritage in the United States. Dr Sajani Shah, Chair of AAPI BOT said, “The mission AAPI, the largest ethnic organization of physicians, is to provide a forum to facilitate and enable Indian American physicians to excel at inpatient care, teaching and research, and to pursue their aspirations in professional and community affairs. The Executive Committee is working hard, enabling AAPI’s voice to be heard in the corridors of power, and thus taking AAPI to new heights.”
“AAPI Legislative day is a flagship annual event that is eagerly awaited to rekindle and renew our energy in bringing up the issues that we need to bring to the attention of national policy makers and leaders of the US Congress on Capitol Hill,” said Dr Sampat Shivangi, chair of AAPI Legislative Affairs Committee. “A tradition of more than two decades which has brought many important transformations in National Healthcare policies that have helped Physicians of Indian Origin. Now, it is the need of the day to renew our friendship with new leadership under President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and brief the leadership on issues that are important to us.” According to Dr Shivangi, “The legislative day is also time to meet and interact with Indian Ambassador to USA Hon. Taranjit Singh Sandhu and the Embassy officials during an evening dinner to be hosted by the Ambassador. I look forward to see many of our friends in Washington, DC on May 19th.” Dr Shivangi added.
“AAPI has been seeking to collectively shape the best health care for the people of US, with the physician at the helm, caring for the medically underserved as we have done for several decades when physicians of Indian origin came to the US in larger numbers,” says Dr Anupama Gotimukula, president-elect of AAPI. “During the annual Legislative Conference, among others, AAPI will discuss: Increased Residency Slots, Immigration Reform, Medicare and Medicaid Reimbursements, Tort Reform, Repeal of the Individual Mandate, Lowering the Cost of Prescription Drugs, and, The South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act of 2017,” she added.”
“AAPI is once again in the forefront in bringing many burning health care issues facing the community at large and bringing this to the Capitol and to the US Congress,” says Ravi Kolli, Vice President of AAPI. Dr Kolli urged his “AAPI colleagues and everyone interested in or connected with providing health care to attend this event and ensure that our concerns and needs are heard by our lawmakers and ensure that they act on them.”
Stating that the “US is currently experiencing a physician shortage, which will be exacerbated by retiring baby boomers, affecting thousands of patients’ access to a physician, and ultimately the health care they need, AAPI strongly supports, the much needed “Immigration Reform, particularly with the focus on H-1 and J-1 visas are used by many South Asian American physicians, playing an important role in providing critical health care across the country,” Dr Amit Chakrabarty, Secretary of AAPI, pointed out.
