The annual conference of Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPIO) was held on 4^th & 5th January at Kingsway Hospitals, Near Kasturchand Park, Mohan Nagar, Nagpur. The two-day conference - attended by more than 300 delegates from USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Middle East, Africa and India – provided a great platform to the delegates to share their knowledge; exchange ideas on skill development; and come up with solutions to contemporary health issues and modernizing the approach to delivering healthcare.

The organizers planned a structured scientific program in addition to plenary and keynote address to update regarding the latest advances.  Renowned speakers from across the world covered various topics including Cardiology, Neurology, Nephrology, Oncology, Gastroenterology, Endocrinology, Bariatric Surgery and Tuberculosis / Pulmonology.

Pre-conference workshops were also held on 3^rd January and included Young Doctor’s Forum, Women’s Forum, Medical Education and USG & X-Ray in Emergency apart from a Round Table meeting on Global Workforce Crises.

Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman Apollo Hospitals Group and Founder President of GAPIO said, “This conference is a celebration of India’s invaluable contribution to global healthcare in the form of highly talented doctors who form a valuable resource India and the world at large is facing an epidemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. We seek involvement of everyone to overcome this biggest challenge to mankind posed by NCDs.”

Dr. Anupam Sibal, Group Medical Director at Apollo Hospitals, Senior Consultant Pediatric Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist, present Vice President and incoming President of GAPIO said, “The Indian diaspora has a wealth of healthcare talent. They can contribute to change the healthcare delivery in India to face the challenge of NCDs. We need to find ways to help medical students getting trained in China, Bangladesh and Russia, so that they can pass the license exam and can practice in India. Only 18% of Indian students who have studied medicine abroad in recent years have passed the licensure exam.”

Dr. Nandakumar Jairam, Secretary General GAPIO announced that, GAPIO Leadership award for community service projects will be conferred on Dr. Prasad Rao Nimmagadda, Dr. Ashish Aneja, Dr. Surendra Gupta, Dr. Loknath Shandilya, Dr. V K Raju and Prof. Parag Singhal.

GAPIO Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred on Dr. M. K. Mani, a renowned Nephrologist from Apollo Hospitals, Chennai.

Dr. Ramesh Mehta, President GAPIO and BAPIO-UK said, “Research & Innovation can improve the delivery of healthcare in India. The country needs to take up skilling of doctors, nurses and technicians in a big way to meet the shortage of healthcare workers in India.”