Desi Talk

www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know 4 NATIONAL AFFAIRS December 19, 2025 Foreign-Trained Doctors Are The Backbone Of The American Health Care System I t made me extremely happy to see two highly regarded news sources, the Harvard Gazette in November, and TheWashington Post in early Decem- ber – carrying reports on the critical role that foreign-trained doctors play in the American healthcare system. I came to the United States as a “foreign-trained” doctor from India, with a stint in the United Kingdom. I am one of the thousands who had enjoyed the high quality, low-cost education provided by the government of India, which to this day, Indian American doctors seek to pay back to their country of origin. I am very proud of it. Upon our arrival here, we aspired and worked hard to achieve a reputation as great doctors -from family physicians to specialists. Almost every American has an anecdote about having been cared for by an Indian doctor at some point in their lives. And that includes the rural hinter- land of America. Indian doctors served in the most difficult and underserved places in the US. Today, an Indian American, Bobby Mukkamala, is President of the Ameri- can Medical Association; one of them, Dr. Vivek Murthy, served as the Surgeon General. Another was the Covid ‘Czar’ – Dr. Ashish Jha. There are just too many to count here. Needless to say, both at the grassroots and at the highest levels, Indian Americans are playing key roles in providing healthcare to the public, in both Republican and Democratic admin- istrations, as well as in private health care services. That did not happen overnight. A key factor in the development of the Indian cohort of medical professionals, was the founding in 1982, of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, AAPI. Our mandate and raison- d’etre, was to make the Foreign Medical Graduates’ or FMGs become a strong and highly qualified part of the American health care system. Today, Indian-origin physicians treat one in 7 patients in this country. “AAPI was formed to address the unique challenges faced by physicians of Indian origin in the United States. These physicians, many of whom had migrated to the U.S. during the 1960s and 1970s, encountered difficulties related to profes- sional integration, credential recognition, and adaptation to the American health- care system. AAPI was conceived as a platform to unify Indian-American physi- cians, advocate for their rights, and sup- port their professional and educational needs,” says the aapiusa.org website. Today, AAPI’s horizons are much wider. Its mission, goals and initiatives are multifaceted - advocacy, professional development, philanthropy, and foster- ing relationships between the U.S. and India. The advocacy goes beyond the specific interests of Indian American physicians to include the broader community. We advocate on a wide range of policy issues at both federal and state levels, including healthcare reform, immigration issues, Medicare and Medicaid policies, combat- ing discrimination and bias. Issues of specific interest to Indian trained and other foreign trained profes- sionals remains on the agenda, with the ongoing effort to recognize foreign medical credentials, increasing residency and licensing for FMGs, and promoting public health initiatives and preventive health, collaborating with other medical and advocacy groups. We at AAPI engage lawmakers on Cap- itol Hill on a “Legislative Day” annually, to bring forward the challenges confront- ing not just Indian American physicians, but the healthcare system as a whole. Plus, the Global Health Summit that AAPI organizes annually in India, seeks to bring together US and Indian professionals, poli- cymakers, and leaders to discuss ways to improve global health, share best practices, and engage in philanthropic activities. Our advocacy for not just Indian physicians who came to the US, but for those who remained in their Motherland, has, in my view, brought about profound changes in the care patients receive in America, but also those in India and increas- ingly, in the rest of the world. In a few months (February 2026), I will take over as President of the Global As- sociation of Physicians of Indian Origin – GAPIO. This organization has an ambitious goal of building a global network of the 1.4 million Indian-origin physicians around the world, but also others, who will be the source that can be drawn upon for assisting countries, including India, build their health care systems suited to the needs of their populations. It will enhance communications be- tween physicians from around the world regardless of their country of origin, to build a powerhouse of knowledge and skills that would be of use from the grass- roots to the top echelons of health care delivery. On February 14-15, 2026, the GAPIO 16th Annual Conference will be held in Indore, In- dia, and we encourage and hope to see many non-In- dian medical professionals participate in it. Author: Dr. Sudhir Parikh, a recipient of India’s Padma Shri award, and the US Ellis Island Award, is an allergist and immunologist with 27 clinics in the tri-state area. He is also Chairman of Parikh World- wide Media which brings out several weekly publications, and ITV Gold, a 24/7 television channel. By Dr. Sudhir Parikh Dr. Sudhir Parikh PHOTO:FACEBOOK Nearly 1 In 4 Americans Say The U.S. Health Care System Is In Crisis N early one-quarter of Americans say the coun- try’s health care system is in crisis, with 29 percent citing high costs as the most urgent problem with national health, according to a new Gallup poll released Monday. Concerns about cost and access to health care have long dominated Gallup’s survey studying health problems facing the country. But the share of Americans who view cost as the most pressing problem in health, as well as the 23 percent of respondents who said the system is in a “state of crisis,” are among the highest readings Gallup has recorded in its decades of polling. Gallup surveyed about 1,300 adults from Nov. 3 to 25. Its poll has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points. The negative perception spans party lines. Eighty-one percent of Democrats and 64 percent of Republicans said the system is in crisis or has “major problems.” And a growing proportion of survey respondents are more concerned about the cost of health care rather than access to it. With the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obam- acare, in place since 2010, “it’s not that they don’t have the plans,” said Lydia Saad, director of U.S. social research at Gallup. “They can’t afford the plans.” Disagreements over whether to extend Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies dominated Congress this fall, helping trigger the longest federal government shut- down in history. After the GOP-controlled Senate blocked a Democratic bill Thursday to extend the subsidies, it is almost certain they will expire at the end of the year. That would more than double the average premium, according to estimates from the health care research nonprofit KFF. The Senate also blocked a Republican bill that would grant many Americans up to $1,500 in tax-free accounts to spend on health care. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) has said Republicans in his chamber would draft and vote on their own health care proposal next week but will not extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies. Worries about cost are not only bipartisan, according to the new poll; they have also risen in both parties since Gallup’s survey last year, Saad said. The increase was 12 percentage points among Democrats and 10 points among Republicans, according to Saad, while the share of independents who listed health care costs as their most urgent concern didn’t change. But historically, perception of the country’s health care system has varied depending on which political party holds power, Saad said. The increase in the share of Americans who believe the system is in crisis was driven by Democrats this year, Saad said, with 34 percent agree- ing with that characterization, compared to 13 percent last year. “That’s not surprising, given now [President Donald] Trump is in office. And again, the whole shutdown was over the funding of ACA subsidies and the future of the ACA,” Saad said. “So I think that was probably weighing heavily on Democrats’ minds.” Like prior years, respondents tended to view the gen- eral cost of American health care far worse than the costs they personally incurred. Sixteen percent of respondents said they were satisfied with the total cost of U.S. health care, while 57 percent said they were satisfied with the cost they paid personally, the survey found. Saad said this divide, which has lingered for years, is likely driven by concerns over what Americans are hearing about health care in the news. Many households fear that unexpected medical crises could bring exorbitant bills that break their budgets, “even if they’re not having trouble paying for it today,” said Liz Hamel, vice president and director of public opinion and survey research at KFF. The group’s May survey on health care costs and economic anxieties found that a little over one-third of respondents said they had skipped or postponed getting health care that they needed because of the cost, and 1 in 5 people reported that their health got worse as a result. Those costs can carry lasting financial consequences - piled-up medical bills have forced people to go into debt, dip into their savings or forgo paying for other expenses, Hamel added. “Health care is a pocketbook issue for people,” she said. -TheWashington Post By Gaya Gupta