UNITED STATES: The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) recently assembled a panel of medical regulatory organization leaders from India, the United Kingdom, and the United States during the 17th annual Global Healthcare Summit in New Delhi, India. The panelists discussed and educated aspiring medical students from some of the premium Medical Schools in India who had keenly participated in the panel discussion.
The leaders of the National Board of Examination in Medical Science (NBEMS) India, the National Board of Examination in Medical Science (NBME) USA, and the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) were among the panelists who discussed and educated the aspiring medical students. The initiative was led and coordinated by Dr. Lokesh Edara, BOT-Chair Elect, Dr. Sumul N. Raval, current Secretary of AAPI, and Dr. Shubam Anand, Chairman of the Global Association of Indian Medical Students (GAIMS).
Medical education has many challenges in the transfer of knowledge and quality. India is introducing the NEXT examination, which is the licensing examination similar to USMLE in the US, while the UKMLE is starting in the UK in 2024 in place of the PLAB examination. NMC has applied for WFME Recognition status, which is mandatory to apply for the USMLE examination.
Dr. Peter Katsufrakis, President and CEO, of NBME, USA, spoke about the requirements for Medical students to transition and get accreditation to practice Medicine in the US. Dr. Humayun Chaudhry, President and CEO of the Federation of State Medical Boards, is a graduate of NYU, NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM), and Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, and was listed by Modern Healthcare as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare in 2022.
Expressing appreciation for Dr. Edara and Dr. Raval for taking the lead in facilitating interaction and dialogue between the Medical Education Boards of India and the United States, Dr. Anjana Samadder, President of AAPI said, “Since its inception over four decades ago, AAPI has been in the forefront advocating for medical school education reform and for the medical graduates from India to be treated on par with their counterparts in India. India is already leading the global pharmaceutical industry, and rebooting medical education will help India enter the league of leaders in healthcare around the world. The meeting today was a great start, and I look forward to AAPI continuing to lead such efforts in the coming years benefiting the medical fraternity.“
The AAPI’s initiative to bring together leaders in medical education regulatory boards from India, USA, and UK during GHS 2024 is a significant step towards streamlining medical education in India to meet global standards. The meeting provided a platform for aspiring medical students to learn from and interact with experts in the field, and it is hoped that the exchange of ideas and challenges will benefit the medical education system in India and help tens of thousands of medical graduates coming from India to have recognition in the US.