(Washington, DC: January 28, 2021) The growing influence of doctors of Indian heritage is evident, as increasingly physicians of Indian origin hold critical positions in the healthcare, academic, research and administrative positions across the nation. With their hard work, dedication, compassion, and skills, they have thus carved an enviable niche among the American medical community. AAPI’s role has come to be recognized as vital among Lawmakers as wells by the Federal and State governments as many Indian Americans play important roles in shaping healthcare policies and programs.

In this context, especially as the nation’s attention is on effectively combating the deadly virus, COVID-19, AAPI’s 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 to ensure active participation of young physicians, increasing membership, and 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, “Even though our major issues of uniform licensing laws and reciprocation, discrimination in residency have been done away with to some extent, we need to be still vigilant with the issues of Foreign Medical graduates in residency allotment, increase in Medicare funding so as to increase the Residency slots. The most burning issue of all at present time is H1 Visa, waiver and decades of wait for Green Card that affects Indian Physicians. It 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. “Combined with the Green Card backlog consisting of more than 4 million people, we are very concerned about the impact immigration reform will have on the South Asian American community,” Dr. Chakrabarty added.

“The conference will focus on Immigration Reform and ways for AAPI members to be part of the process in the implementation of the health care reform in this country,” adds Dr. Satheesh Kathula, Treasurer of AAPI. “While medical school enrollment has climbed 2% annually over the past five years through new schools and expansion of existing schools, the number of residency slots funded by Medicare has been capped at about 100,000 since 1997. Congress can act by passing legislation adding 15,000 more residency slots, which will help to train up to 45,000 more doctors in the next two decades,” he added.

In its efforts to help patients struggling with higher healthcare cost, AAPI will urge the lawmakers to help lower the Cost of Prescription Drugs. The exorbitant cost of prescription drugs is a critical health care issue, as some life-saving drugs are too expensive for many patients. As physicians, we want to ensure that the medicines their patients need are affordable and will be taken, to ensure a high quality of life, reduction of chronic ailments, and effective treatment today to prevent increased health care costs in the future.

Referring to the fact that Medicare and Medicaid Reimbursements have not kept up with the cost of care and the growing populations utilizing them, AAPI wants the Congress to review reimbursement schedules. Failure to do so will result in patients’ inability to find a physician in their community who accepts Medicare and/or Medicaid patients.

Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda says that “AAPI continues to discover her own potential to be a player in shaping the healthcare of each patient with a focus on health maintenance than disease intervention. To be a player in crafting the delivery of health care in the most efficient manner. To strive for equality in health globally. The annual Legislative Day is another way to impact Healthcare policy and programs in a most effective way. Come and join us on Capitol Hill on May 19th.” For more information on AAPI and its several noble initiatives benefitting AAPI members and the larger society, please visit: www.aapiusa.org