Kumar Alagappan (PRESIDENT 2003)
January 1, 2003
Dear Friends and Supporters of Emergency Medicine (EM) in India,
It is an honor to have been elected and to serve as President of the American Academy for Emergency Medicine in India (AAEMI) in 2003. This young and vibrant organization was founded less than 2 years ago in Monroeville, Pa. We have grown from 7 members to an organization of 70 members with 10 life members. Our vision of promoting Emergency Medicine in India is becoming a reality. We are actively participating with the Society of Emergency Medicine, India (SEMI) and most recently co-hosted 'The First International Emergency Medicine and Disaster Preparedness Conference' (INTEM 2002) from Oct 25th through 27th, 2002 in Hyderabad. Over 700 physicians from 10 countries attended this conference.
SEMI has now made its mark with the national conferences and most recently with an international conference in India this year. This conference could not have been conducted without overwhelming support from the United States. Over thirty academic and community EM physicians lectured and ran workshops at INTEM 2003. There were also many delegates from the US. Many have now joined AAEMI and will help in our endeavor to promote EM in India.
In October 2003 both SEMI and AAEMI will co-host the next national conference in Pune (EMCON 2003). EMCON will be an annual event that takes place in the fall with a new venue to be established each year. We need AAEMI members to attend, network and establish new ties and friendships. We have an opportunity to assist a diverse group of physicians who are soliciting our expertise. I will attempt to obtain Category 1 CME credit through the Northshore-LIJ Health system again this year. CME will permit many of us to attend. It will also assure that the academic standards of the conference will be maintained.
We have had many growing pains but thanks to our former Presidents Drs Phulwani and Abraham we are a registered non-profit organization, with by-laws and we have the State Medical Society of Pa handling our administrative functions. As President, I will make every effort to keep you, the membership, informed of the happenings.
Members of this organization should be proud of what we have accomplished. To date AAEMI members have been helping in their own way to promote EM in India:
-
One physician has written an entire textbook in EM with all royalties being donated towards EM research in India. -
Another member has helped establish ACLS courses in both Hyderabad and Kerala.
-
We have one individual who has been active at the state level with Disaster management.
-
Another member has organized medical missions to India on an annual basis.
-
One member wrote a position paper in the National Medical Journal of India, stating why EM should be recognized as a medical specialty (Oct 2001).
-
Two AAEMI members run fellowships for international EM physicians to observe EM practice in the US.
-
I have coordinated over 35 US EM residents and several medical students to rotate on EM electives at several sites in India over the past 7 years.
-
For the last two conferences in India, almost a dozen AAEMI members served as faculty.
These are but a few projects and activities with which
AAEMI members have been involved.
As our influence slowly filters into some of the medical circles in
India, colleagues there are beginning to see that an emergency physician
is the patient's advocate, and is the first line physician to deal with
the needs of the community. In this position the EM physician is the
natural public advocate for the health and well being of the community.
The enactment of helmet laws, highway safety rules, and seatbelt laws
are but a few examples of how the public may benefit from EM. The EM
physician is often the one in many countries to develop a plan to manage,
coordinate and respond to disasters. The development of India's emergency
care needs an infrastructure based on proper training in Emergency Medicine.
Let us move forward and help India establish Emergency Medicine as a specialty. As India embarks on the 21st century, we must return to our mission statement and assist our fellow physicians in India. I look forward to a productive and successful year for AAEMI and I hope that you will all participate in this endeavor.
Kumar Alagappan, MD, FACEP, FAAEM
President, AAEMI 2003
Associate Professor Of Clinical Emergency Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York