During a historical meeting with a delegation of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) led by Dr. Seema Jain, President of AAPI, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured of his ongoing engagement with the International Indian Medical diaspora, an in particular with the initiatives of AAPI to make healthcare in India. â€œWe were very honored and privileged that the Honorable Prime Minister met with us at his residence,â€ Dr. Seema Jain told the media after the meeting. â€œWe presented the invitation and agenda for the AAPI Global Health Summit 2016. Shri Modi Ji complimented AAPI and its members for their ongoing support and collaboration towards India\'s healthcare,â€ Dr. Jain added.

Plans are underway and the AAPI delegation was in India to plan the events and to work towards collaborating with the Government of India and its various Ministries, Educational Institutions and Corporate Leaders to work collaboratively for a productive and successful GHS 2016.

â€œOne of our commitments is and has been to engage in meaningful activities, programs and collaborate with Government of India, several professional medical associations, institutions, hospitals and medical colleges - with the objective of giving back to our former home land,â€ ,â€ Dr. Jain said. â€œA passion that is dear to all Indians as someone important once said â€œyou can take the Indian out of India but you cannot take the India out of the Indian,\' Dr. Jain emphasized.

AAPI\'s Chief Patron the Minster of External Affairs of India, Smt. Sushma Swaraj has confirmed to be the Chief Guest for AAPI\'s FIRST Women\'s Leadership Forum scheduled for January 2, 2016 from 1.30PM, Dr. Jain announced. Several prominent women leaders will be invited to the forum to discuss the future of women leaders in India, share personal examples of their challenges, struggles and successes. More details are being developed.

During the visit to India, the AAPI delegation was able to gain the commitment from the Minister of State for Tourism, Dr. Mahesh Sharma to be a part of the Cultural Celebrations on January 2, 2016, where a stunning evening depicting the rich culture of music, dance and art will be performed by a leading group of artists, as part of the GHS.

Among the other initiatives, the delegation also succeeded in having the first ever AAIMS-AAPI collaboration, with agreement signed with Dr. M.C Mishra, Director and Head of AIIMS and Dr. Shakti Gupta, Head, Administration. The first project will be the collaboration on the AAPI-led Research Abstract and Poster competition that will be held on December 29th at the prestigious AIIMS institute in Delhi.

After years of persistence and effort of several people, the upgraded and enhancedwww.swaasthIndia.gov.inis now up and running. The purpose of this web site to enable physician volunteers from all over the world enlist in various healthcare camps, screening and other philanthropic activities being conducted in India. This website is now being promoted with all the state Ministers of Health and NGO\'s to post information about such activities, once that is updated the international Indian medical diaspora will be able to volunteer for activities most relevant to their expertise and in their respective geographies, Dr. Jain informed.

Among the many partners who will be joining and working together during and after the GHS 2016 alongside of AAPI are the leadership of Indian Medical Association, the Delhi Medical Association, Medical Council of India, National Board of Examinations, Apollo Group of Hospitals, MAX Hospitals, Antara Senior Living, Abbott Health Systems, Glaxo Smith Kline, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance.

Dr. Jain has called upon AAPI members to join in this historic journey, â€œAAPI\'s mission is clear, our programs will continue to strive and our impact is infectious on benefiting society. We as physicians make significant contributions for the betterment of people\'s lives. As members we can make these contributions through the4 E\'s: Excellence of Education, Empowerment, Enlightenment, and Evolution. Today I ask you to set aside your differences, and join me in this noble journey to make our mission possible! We make history â€“ starting today!â€ Dr. Seema Jain appealed to â€œall of you, AAPI members, well-wishers, friends and colleagues to join this effort and help ensure that we are putting in solid effort towards making quality healthcare affordable and accessible to all people of India.â€For additional information on AAPI and its Global Healthcare Summit, please visit:www.aapiusa.org;www.aapighsindia.org

Dr. Seema Jain leads AAPI meeting with Prime Minister