Indian-American doctors have sought assistance from former US President Bill Clinton and his foundation to find lasting solutions to pressing health problems affecting millions of people in India.
"President Clinton expressed keen interest on AAPI's Obesity Campaign and was appreciative of the healthcare initiatives of AAPI and its members for their ongoing support and collaboration," said Seema Jain, president American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI).
"We are looking forward to working with the Clinton Foundation that builds partnerships of great purpose between businesses, governments, NGOs, and individuals to work faster, better, and leaner, will work with AAPI in realising some of the noble goals we have set before us," Jain said after she led a delegation of AAPI officials to meet Clinton.
Jain highlighted the importance of AAPI's initiatives launched for working towards health issues that are of importance to India, particularly on diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, trauma & head injury and mental health issues, including depression.
"Together we hope to work towards finding solutions that last, and will transform lives and communities from what they are today to what they can be, tomorrow," she added, while affirming the common goals of AAPI and the Clinton Foundation.
Noting that while important progress has been made by connecting patients to essential treatment, Jain said millions of people continue to die unnecessarily from AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other treatable diseases.
Access to critical medicines and diagnostics is often limited in resource-poor settings, resulting in dire consequences for some of the world's most vulnerable populations, she added.
Founded by Bill Clinton in 2001, Clinton Foundation is a nonprofit organisation with the stated mission to strengthen the capacity of people to meet the challenges of global interdependence.
Clinton, 69, served as the 42nd President of the US from 1993 to 2001.
