Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel is keen on working with non-resident Indian physicians interested in performing philanthropic work in India.
In a meeting with News India Times publisher Dr. Sudhir M. Parikh on Jan. 7, Patel expressed a keen interest in starting a structured medical program and a mobile healthcare program with NRI doctors in her state.
In an hour-long meeting, both Parikh and Patel talked about brining NRI physicians of different specialties to India, to perform surgeries, conduct workshops and hold mobile clinics.
“It was a long, productive meeting,” Parikh said, adding, that he is scheduled to meet the chief minister again on Jan. 15. “She is a very proactive chief minister,” he said of Patel.
Parikh also talked about the Swaasth India web portal, which would provide essential healthcare services at various locations in India with the help of doctors from overseas and India.
The portal, which is an official website of the Government of India, will act as matchmaking site where the central and state governments could post their requirements and the Indian medical Diaspora internationally can view and apply for the same, Parikh said.
The portal was created with assistance from the Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPIO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Government of India, American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) and British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO).