March 2021 Edition
APPNA President's Message
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APPNA Spring Meeting:
APPNA 44th Annual Summer Convention 2021
June 30 - July 4, 2021 at Rosen Shingle Creek, Orlando, FL

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APPNA Appeal to Prime Minister Imran Khan Regarding COVID-19 Vaccine Pricing
Today APPNA wrote to the Prime Minister Imran Khan to express its concern at the high prices fixed for the COVID-19 vaccines in Pakistan.

According to press reports, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has approved a pricing formula allowing forty percent mark-up (profit) for importers of the vaccines plus an additional fifteen percent mark-up for retailers.

As per this formula, the price for two doses of the Sputnik-V vaccine has been fixed at Rs. 8,449 and that for a single dose of the Cansino Biologics vaccine at Rs. 4,225.

This fifty-five percent margin of profit for essentially a lifesaving treatment in a poor country cannot be justified by any means.

APPNA is concerned that in a country where 30-40% people live below the poverty line, this price gouging and inflated prices for the COVID-19 vaccines will make these beyond the reach of a very large proportion of the populace.

As vaccines are thus far the only hope for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, the results of leaving hundreds of millions of people unable to afford them will be catastrophic. A human tragedy must not be allowed to be used for profiteering.

APPNA has appealed to the PM to review the situation himself.

APPNA believes that the government should itself import the vaccine on an emergent basis. It is best positioned to negotiate favorable rates with the manufacturers.

Ideally the government should make the vaccine available to all the people free of cost. If the financial situation of the country however precludes that, then it should be made available to the population at no more than cost. Subsidies should however still be provided to the poor.

The central and provincial governments have huge human resources available in their health departments. These should be utilized for delivery and administration of the COVID-19 vaccine to the public. Medical student volunteers can also be recruited for the effort.

APPNA also requested the PM to make live telecast of the meetings of regulatory authorities such as DRAP mandatory for the sake of transparency.

APPNA shall continue to engage with the government and various authorities in Pakistan for improving the healthcare of the people.
APPNA YPC 2021
"A story of Dr. Umar Tariq"
“Ja Beta! Allah tujhe bara doctor banaye!” (Son! May God make you a very successful doctor!). I am still eternally grateful for my memories from medical school of patients coming out of their rooms to pat my head and give me their well-wishes. Throughout my life, I have been driven by a passion to make a difference in the lives of others. Philanthropy and altruism have always inspired my actions and personal trajectory. As a 3rd year medical student at King Edward Medical University, I often witnessed the disturbing scenario of patients dying due to a lack of funds. I quickly realized the significance of being able to provide timely help to others, motivating me to find new ways to help underprivileged patients. I did this first on my own as an individual and later in an organized fashion as the President of the Students’ Patients Welfare Society (SPWS).

I applied for electives in the US and was fortunate enough to ultimately complete 12 weeks in Diagnostic Radiology at UCSF, 4 weeks in Emergency Medicine at Yale, 4 weeks in Hematology at the NIH and 7 weeks of research electives in Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins. My rotations in the US proved to be great learning experiences for me,. Unfortunately, guidance for international medical graduates (IMGs) regarding this topic is very limited. To solve this problem, I created a website (http://www.mededia.com/) to help IMGs apply for rotations and residency in the US.
Unfortunately, I scored poorly in the USMLE exams and even failed the clinical skills exam. I reached out to the IMGs who successfully matched into radiology in prior years. I spent time conducting research both as a visiting medical student at Johns Hopkins and later, as a post-doctoral research fellow at Stanford University for 2.5 years. My research experience gave me ample exposure to various aspects of research methodology such as study design, data collection and compilation, statistical analyses, manuscript writing, and presenting.

I matched for residency in Diagnostic Radiology and later, completed a fellowship in Vascular and Interventional Radiology. During my six years of clinical training, I struggled with various health issues. I was the only recipient to receive the award by the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) three years in a row (2015-2017) during the Annual Conference Resident Research Contests and also awarded the prestigious Annual Roentgen Resident/Fellow Research Award by the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in 2018.

In 2019, I founded the Association of Pakistani Radiologists in North America (APRNA http://aprna.org/) to gather radiologists of Pakistani descent based in North America. Our goal is to improve the quality of radiology education and imaging services in Pakistan. I am the Vice Section Chief of Interventional Radiology at UPMC Susquehanna in Williamsport, PA.

I attribute my success that all to three key attributes: altruism, networking, and knowledge. I encountered multiple failures along the way and had my own share of struggles, but keeping a clear vision and heart always helped me overcome my challenges. The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure. Success is the ability to go from one failure to another without the loss of enthusiasm. The biggest strength in life is the strength of hope; the power of never giving up. Believing in yourself can provide you with the power to change your destiny.
APPNA MERIT Session Series
Conducting Clinical Trials in Pakistan Challenges and Opportunities
APPNA MERIT has started series of webinars focusing on clinical research and health care innovation landscape in Pakistan. These webinars will continue weekly for next one year or so, with leadership in research and innovation presenting insights and showcasing their work in Pakistan. Only one time registration is required and you will get automated reminders on weekly basis with link to join the webinar.

Registration link: http://bit.ly/meritresearch
NHCD 2021 Committee Members Recommendations for National Health Care Day 2021

Here are recommendations and guidance for general membership, Alumni/Chapter presidents, EC and all other stakeholders of APPNA organization and collaborating partners:

1) NHCD 2021 is on Saturday October 2nd, 2021 but component societies may choose different dates. It is recommended to consider both COVID-19 spring or early summer vaccination and flu shots during fall this year.

2) Chapters should raise funds locally to sponsor their NCHD 2021 event and not depend on Central APPNA funding.

3) Chapters can consider offering COVID-19 and flu vaccinations at their NHCD events along with some basic health screenings if feasible.

4) Consider full health fair activity this fall just like it has been arranged before COVID-19 pandemic.

5) Add blood drive in collaboration with Red Cross or other organizations in your local areas.

6) J&J may be option for COVID-19 vaccination activity if Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are challenging at certain locations.

7) Media coverage is essence of NHCD 2021 not only locally but nationally as well. Arrange NHCD activities as many as possible to raise awareness about APPNA contribution to local communities.

8) Consult county, state and local pharmacies who can be partner in both flu shots and COVID-19 vaccination.
 
9) APPNA NHCD 2021 is national event but locally you are welcome to add names but preferably arrange under the umbrella of APPNA along with partner organizations.

(10) Canada, as health care is fully covered and accessible to everyone, focus in last 2 programs has been mainly education and awareness. This year, intend to focus again health care professionals and may also offer some basic screening for the attendees.


Ehtsham Haq, MD
Chair APPNA NHCD 2021
APPNA COVID Efforts & Social Welfare Projects
APPNA DMV Chapter Activities:
- FOOD DISTRIBUTION MAHER ABADI ISLAMABAD.
on 2/19, APPNA DMV and CDRS collaborated for food distribution at Maher Abadi in Islamabad. Dr. Nadra Khan represented APPNA DMV.

-FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS AT SENIOR CITIZENS COMPLEX, RESTON, VIRGINIA.
On 2/14, Fresh and dry groceries were distributed to the residents of a low income subsidized senior citizens complex in Reston, VA.

-FOOD DISTRIBUTION AT CARPENTERS SHELTER, ALEXANDRIA,VIRGINIA.
Lunch was provided to 35 residents on 2/9 and 2/ 21 by Dr. Samia Piracha and Dr. Naheed Saleem. Great commitment by our team members to serve the communities.

-COMPUTER PROJECT, WASHINGTON DC.
On 2/26, APPNA DMV donated 80 laptop computers to entire senior graduating class of Thurgood Marshall Academy in ward 8, Anacostia, Washington DC. 18,000 dollars were spent on this project.

APPN Alberta Chapter Activities:
-This year, a great start with our second Health symposium on March28,2021 a free public event highlighting benefits of Fasting and common chronic diseases, also Reflection on Happiness and purpose of living.

Additionally, subsequent to new APPNA western Canadian drive and participation by three western Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British Columbia strengthening APPNA across Canada.

FJMCAANA Update - March 2021:
-FJ Alumni has been actively participating with APPNA MERIT Family Medicine Rotations. FJMCAANA has started a Health channel in collaboration with Dr Samina Toufeeq YouTube health channel in January 2021 and we are doing online free medical camps on every Sunday morning . Our motto is “ Prevention is our Passion “ . 

-FJMCAANA raised funds for Winter storm disaster in Texas and donated 2000 dollars to SWDRC in February. 

APPNE Activities:
-In accordance with our organizations goals and objectives, recently APPNE organized free public interest following webinars and is actively collecting donations for a charitable cause.
  • All you need to know about Covid-19 Vaccines
  • Impact of Pandemic on Children’s Mental Health
  • National Institute of Child Health (NICH) Medical Equipment Fundraiser

APPNA/ICNA Efforts:
-Sunday March 7th, 2021. APPNA/ICNA RELIEF NY mobile clinic free community health fair and blood drive was organized in collaboration with American Red Cross at Raindrop Turkish community center in Richardson, TX. 22 families received free health screenings including blood pressure, blood sugar, BMI and lipid panel testing.
31 people mostly Turkish and local community members donated blood to American Red Cross.

-Sunday March 7th, 2021. APPNA/ICNA RELIEF NY mobile clinic in partnership with New York blood center & Al Rayaan muslim funeral services held a successful blood drive at masjid Iqra Brookyn NY. Many blood donors participants received a ICNA Relief tote bag with 5 masks, hand sanitizer, Antibacterial wipes & Covid-19 information brochure.

-Thursday March 4, 2021 APPNA/ICNA Relief and Access Dupage, organized a free Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine site at Jewel Osco Pharmacy in Glendale Heights, IL. 132 people were administered covid vaccines, during this event goodie bags were also distributed containing Covid19 information brochure, masks and hand sanitizers. 

-Sunday February 28, 2021, APPNA/ICNA Relief mobile clinic free community health awareness was organized at Church in Rockland county, NY. All participants received a ICNA Relief tote bag with 10 masks, hand sanitizer, Antibacterial wipes, Covid19 awareness brochure & hot meal.

APPNA Efforts in Pakistan
-Monday March 1, 2021, APPNA provided Shoes and clothing to 123 Deserving Children in Pattoki, mostly were school going children from neighboring villages (wan Adhan and Varna Coat) as well as children from a local orphanage and street children from Pattoki town, which is about 1.5 hrs drive from Lahore.
It was sponsored by an anonymous APPNA member, funds matched by APPNA and distribution performed by CDRS staff.
COVID19
Donation Drive
as of 03/31//2021
Spring Meeting
Orlando, FL
April 9-10, 2021
Annual Convention
Orlando, FL
July 1-4, 2021
Fall Meeting
Dallas, TX
October 23, 2021
Winter Meeting
Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta
Dec 18-25, 2021
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