Women physicians at the panel on ‘South Asian Women and Leadership Development ---- Breakout Session,’ at the American Association for Physicians of Indian origin’s (AAPI) 21st annual convention at the Marriott World Center in Orlando, Florida. (Photo: Ela Dutt)

ORLANDO, FLORIDA: Women physicians marked their presence at this year’s American Association of Physicians of Indian origin (AAPI) annual convention, cornering a major portion of the three-day program, covering areas of general and particular interest and moving from the sublime to the fashionable.

Kicking off their schedule with a panel on philanthropic and humanitarian projects in India, they moved to beauty and skin care, a first for any AAPI convention in its over two decades.

Dr. Rani Lakhi, chair of the Women Physicians Committee (WPC), said her committee of 20 members had decided to mix the fare in a bid to encompass the life of women physicians.

“Women are not active and I wanted to make sure that we were bringing up different things. They have so much talent, but don’t come forward,” she told News India-Times. Planning since the last convention in Chicago brought women’s participation in AAPI to the fore, the WPC had a certain vision of how to bring women center and front. “Being a standing committee we should be doing more,” Dr. Lakhi said.

Dr. Rani Lakhi

“We really thought there was a need for greater women’s presence, so this year we have concurrent sessions in addition to the women’s forum,” said Anisha Abraham, president of Young Physicians at AAPI and incoming co-chair of the WPC. “There are many aspects to a woman physician ---- care givers, professional and the personal need for relaxation.”

The panel on ‘Humanitarian Efforts in India: How You Can Lend a Hand,’ brought Vijay Chedda and Mukesh Doshi of the Bidada Sarvodaya Trust to inform attending physicians of the work the Trust had done in Gujarat before and after the earthquake, in providing health care to the poor. Doshi, director of the trust, said some 30,000 patients had been treated at the rehabilitation center run by it following the quake. “Doctors came from all over the world to treat the victims. We had children without parents, patients without limbs,” he noted as he delivered a visual presentation of the complete care the center offers. He urged more physicians to volunteer time at the camps in Gujarat.

“I urge members to participate in the work being done,” said Dr. Kiran Patel, outgoing president of AAPI, who has been associated with the Bidada Trust for many years. “‘Training the Teacher’ is one of the activities it is my desire to continue.”

Rotary International representatives spoke of the need to support polio eradication in India. Whereas there has been a 99 percent eradication in the number of polio cases globally, India continues, along with parts of Africa, to have a significant number of cases.

More than 85 percent of the global polio caseload is concentrated in nine states within India, said Dr. Narayan Murarka and Jack Blane who lead the Rotary International Polio Eradication Initiative. A mere $200 could help cure a child of polio and $500 could meet the medical needs of a village, Blane said. For as little as 50 cents worth of oral vaccine, a child can be protected against this crippling disease. The panels on beauty, skin care and keeping fit, as well as cooking healthy Indian food, were also well-attended.