Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America

The Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) is an American nonprofit organization[2] headquartered in Westmont, Illinois, United States. It is one of the largest medical associations in the United States.[1]

Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America
Formation29 August 1977 (1977-08-29)[1]
HeadquartersWestmont, Illinois, United States
Membership
3,000-3,500 members[1]
Websiteappna.org

APPNA is the largest medical organization of expatriate Pakistanis.[3]

Founding

In 1976, Dr. Zaheer Ahmed, a Pakistani gastroenterologist based in Michigan, envisioned an idea of a professional organization of Pakistani physicians in the U.S and Canada that would provide a platform for social gatherings and a vehicle for educational and humanitarian projects in Pakistan. APPNA was registered in the state of Michigan as a non-profit charitable organization on 29 August 1978. The Internal Revenue Service granted it tax exempt status in 1983.[4]

Past presidents

The list of APPNA's past presidents includes:[5]

  1. Dr. Zaheer Ahmed, 1979-80 (King Edward Medical College)
  2. Dr. Kamil Muzaffar, 1980-81 (King Edward Medical College)
  3. Dr. M Ayub Omayya, 1981 and 1982 (King Edward Medical College)
  4. Dr. S. Amjad Hussain, 1982-83 (Khyber Medical College)
  5. Dr. Amanullah Khan, 1983-84 (King Edward Medical College)
  6. Dr. M. Aslam Malik, 1984-85 (Nishtar Medical College)
  7. Dr. Ikramullah Khan, 1985-86 (Dow Medical College)
  8. Dr. Hassan Imam Bukhari, 1986-97 (King Edward Medical College)
  9. Dr. Nasim Ashraf, 1987-88 (Khyber Medical College)
  10. Dr. Mohammad Murtaza Arain, 1988-89 (Liaquat Medical College)
  11. Dr. Arif Ali Akbar Toor, 1989-90 (King Edward Medical College)
  12. Dr. Arif Muslim, 1990-91 (King Edward Medical College)
  13. Dr. Mushtaq A. Khan, 1991-92 (Dow Medical College)
  14. Dr. Prevez Ali Shah, 1992-93 (Dow Medical College)
  15. Dr. M. Khalid Riaz, 1993-94 (King Edward Medical College)
  16. Dr. Waheed Akbar, 1994-95 (King Edward Medical College)
  17. Dr. Mushtaq Sharif, 1996 (King Edward Medical College)
  18. Dr. Shaukat H. Khan, 1997 (Nishtar Medical College)
  19. Dr. Durdana Gilani, 1998 (King Edward Medical College)
  20. Dr. Shabir H. Safdar, 1999
  21. Dr. M. Javed Akhtar, 2000 (King Edward Medical College)
  22. Dr. Riaz Chaudhry, 2001 (King Edward Medical College)
  23. Dr. Mohammad Suleman, 2002 (King Edward Medical College)
  24. Dr. Raana Akbar, 2003 (King Edward Medical College)
  25. Dr. Omar Taimoor Atiq, 2004 (Khyber Medical College)
  26. Dr. Hussain G. Malik, 2005
  27. Dr. Abdul Rashid Piracha 2006 (Nishtar Medical College)
  28. Dr. Nadeem A. Kazi, 2007 (Sind Medical College)
  29. Dr. Mahmood Alam, 2008 (Allama Iqbal Medical College)
  30. Dr. Syed Abdus Samad, 2009 (Dow Medical College)
  31. Dr. Zeelaf B. Munir, 2010 (Dow Medical College)
  32. Dr. Manzoor A. Tariq, 2011 (Quaid-e-Azam Medical College)
  33. Dr. Saima Zafar, 2012 (King Edward Medical College)
  34. Dr. Javed Suleman, 2013 (Sind Medical College)
  35. Dr. Asif M. Rehman, 2014 (Nishtar Medical College)
  36. Dr. Mubasher E. Rana, 2015 (King Edward Medical College)
  37. Dr. M. Nasar Qureshi, 2016 (Dow Medical College)
  38. Dr. Sajid Chaudhary, 2017 (Allama Iqbal Medical College)
  39. Dr. Iqbal Zafar Hamid, 2018 (Sind Medical College)
  40. Dr. Naseem A. Shekhani, 2019 (Dow Medical College)
  41. Dr. Ghazala Naheed Usmani, 2020 (King Edward Medical College)
  42. Dr. M. Rizwan Khalid, 2021 (Aga Khan Medical College)
  43. Dr. Haroon H. Durrani, 2022[6] (Nishtar Medical College)

Constituent alumni organizations

The following university alumni organizations are constituent members of APPNA:[7]

  • Aga Khan University Alumni Association of North America (AKUAANA)
  • Allama Iqbal Medical College Alumni Association of North America (AIMCAANA)[8]
  • Alumni Association of Physicians of Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences of North America (LUMHS)
  • Army Medical College Alumni Association of North America (AMCOLAANA)
  • Association of Physicians of Pakistani-descent of Caribbean Medical Schools (APPCMS)
  • Bolan Medical College Alumni Association of North America (BMCAANA)
  • Dental APPNA
  • Dow Graduates Association of North America (DOGANA)[9]
  • Fatima Jinnah Medical College Alumni Association of North America (FJMCAANA)[10]
  • Jinnah Sind Medical University Alumni Association of North America (JSMUAANA)[11]
  • Khyber Medical College Alumni Association of North America (KMCAANA)[12]
  • King Edward Medical College Alumni Association of North America (KEMCAANA)[13]
  • Nishtar Medical College Alumni Association of North America (NANA)[14]
  • North American Medical Alumni of APPNA (NAMA)
  • Punjab Medical College Alumni Association of North America (PMCAANA)
  • Quaid-e-Azam Medical College Alumni Association of North America (QMCAANA)
  • Rawalpindi Medical College Alumni Association of North America (RMCAANA)[15]

Representation in Pakistan Government Health Task Force

In December 2021, Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan gave APPNA representation in his government's health task force for getting its input towards improving the healthcare system in the country.[16]

Meetings

APPNA holds four meetings through the year. Its meetings present opportunities for continuing medical education as well as social get-togethers. The four meetings are:

  1. Spring meeting[17][18][19][20]
  2. Annual summer convention
  3. Fall meeting[21]
  4. Winter meeting

Activism

Amidst news of the exorbitantly high prices of the COVID-19 vaccine set in Pakistan, APPNA wrote to the Prime Minister to express its concern. "A human tragedy must not be allowed to be used for profiteering,"[22] the APPNA association pleaded in the letter. The association recommended that the government should undertake the task of importing the vaccine itself, "on an emergent basis" as it is "best positioned to negotiate favorable rates with manufacturers." The group of doctors noted that although ideally the vaccine should be available to all free of cost, but if the country's financial situation did not allow it, it should be sold "at no more than cost". It also urged for subsidies to be provided to the poor regardless.[22]

In March 2022, the United States Department of State acknowledged APPNA's efforts for COVID-19 relief.[23]

APPNA members offer free community healthcare through free clinics.[24]

References
  1. Chaudhry, Hufsa (29 April 2017). "These Pakistani-American doctors are ushering change in the US and Pakistan". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  2. Roberts, Ken Schwencke, Mike Tigas, Sisi Wei, Alec Glassford, Andrea Suozzo, Brandon (9 May 2013). "Association Of Pakistani Physicians - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. Retrieved 13 June 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. "APPNA Joins AAPI and BMANA, jointly signed Memorandum of Understanding". Daily Times. 12 May 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  4. Hussain, Amjad (2004). APPNA Qissa. The Literary Circle of Toledo. pp. 2–6. ISBN 0-9664021-6-2.
  5. Hussain, S. Amjad (2004). APPNA Qissa. Literary Circle of Toledo. pp. 153–217. ISBN 0-9664021-6-2.
  6. "BIG NEWS: Dr. Haroon Durrani, Dr. Arshad Rehan and Dr. Humerra Qamar becomes President, Secretary and Treasurer of APPNA respectively". Media Bites News. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  7. "Component Societies". APPNA. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  8. "AIMCAANA - Allama Iqbal Medical College Alumni Association of NA". AIMCAANA. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  9. "Dow Graduates Association of North America". dogana.org. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  10. "fjmcaana.org". fjmcaana.org. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  11. "JSMUAANA | Home". jsmuaana.net. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  12. admin. "KMCAANA - Khyber Medcial College Association of North America". KMCAANA. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  13. "Kemcaana". Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  14. "About NANA". Nishtar Medical University Alumni Association Of North America. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  15. "RMCAANA". Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  16. Mian, Bakhtawar (21 December 2021). "PM Imran gives APPNA representation in health task force". Dawn. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  17. "Pakistan Surgeon General Invited as Chief Guest in APPNA Spring Meeting in US". The Nation. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  18. Briones, Alejandra (25 January 2022). "Organization to meet in OKC to raise awareness about colon cancer". KOKO 5 News. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  19. "Lt.Gen. Nigar Johar hailed as 'role model' at spring meeting of Pakistani-American doctors' group". Daily Times. 28 March 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  20. Chaudhary, Hufsa (29 April 2017). "These Pakistani-American doctors are ushering change in the US and Pakistan". Dawn. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  21. "Dr Arshad Rehan becomes APPNA president-elect". The News International. 26 October 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  22. "Pakistani-American doctors tell PM high prices set for COVID-19 vaccines 'cannot be justified'". The News International. 28 March 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  23. United States Department of State Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs [@State_SCA] (29 March 2022). "Grateful for all who participate in the #USPAK relationship" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  24. "Pakistani doctors in Chicago offer free community healthcare". Dawn. 26 September 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
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