APPNA meeting in San Francisco...A Report

Dated:21-07-2009

Annual dinner of KMC ANNA – Khyber Medical College Alumni of North America was held in Marriot San Francisco on 3rd  July 2009. There are more than fifteen thousand doctors of Pakistani descent working in North America. Khyber Medical College has contributed more than four hundred towards it. One of the hallmarks of mela of APPNA - Association of Physicians of Pakistani descent of North America is different medical colleges celebrating their annual reunions.

KMC ANNA made a very coordinated attempt to raise funds for the poor but proud IDPs by printing and distributing a single page flier. Though APPNA as a whole was supporting the fund-raising for the poor people but for KMC ANNA this was the only agenda and this seemed to be the theme of the annual dinner as well! KMC ANNA through their active members Dr Naeem Khan, Arshad Rehan and Mohammad Taqi prevailed upon Social Welfare and Disaster relief committee of APPNA to support the efforts more zealously. I was specially invited to update them on the situation and throw light on the activities of SWS-social welfare society of Khyber Medical College supported by KMC ANNA, APPNA and Khyber Medical University. APPNA had been very active to raise funds for earth quake victims in the past. This time through their own initiative they were exploring avenues to help their brethren in distress. The breakfast meeting held on 3rd July 2009 under the chairmanship of Dr Ghazala Zafar and helped by Aisha Zafar was to take stock of the situation. The cardiologist from Boston, with a golden heart that aches for the poor, Dr Nadeem Afridi made an impromptu presentation and forwarded valuable suggestions. KMC ANNA members made fervent appeal for all out support and made a special case for ambulances and urgent help for the dwindling store of medicines. All members seemed to appreciate the situation very well and eager to lend a helping hand. The hard work of young students of SWS of Khyber Medical College under Prof Ijaz Khattak and their brochure was very much appreciated by all.

Dr Taqi- an intellectual par excellence and a doer-was the major host being the president of the organization. Begum Dr Shafi ullah had the honour of offering recitation from Holy Quran. Dr Taqi , welcomed the guests and talked about their efforts in reorganizing KMC ANNA and raising funds for IDPs which he reckoned was primarily their responsibility. He had painstakingly organized this dinner with the help of Dr Arshad Rehan –the president elect and Asad Mohmand – a brilliant internist and son of Prof Alaf Khan. The trio was busy along with the quiet worker -an internist and Dr Taqi’ younger brother in printing posters and putting them in prominent places,  receiving guests and looking after them. Arshad Rehan was the chief organizer and along with Taqi played the important role of rejuvenating the KMC ANNA and liaising with APPNA. 

It was a pleasure to meet old friends after a long time that meant decades in some cases. Our contemporary Ashfaq Shouib –a professor in Neurology at the prestigious Edmonton University in Canada, was on faculty to deliver a state of art lecture on new innovations in stroke. Dr Rafiq –his best pal- is a big name in the world of cancer –oncology, was there along with his family. Both offered generous help for KMU. Prof Amjad Hussain has recently added another feather in his already ‘full’ cap. A special chair of Professorship has been created in his name at the University Of Toledo, Ohio USA, in the field of Thoracic and Cardiovascular surgery, to acknowledge his contribution in this field. This is very unique honour and he is perhaps the only one in this class among the foreign graduates. He is one of the founder members of APPNA and had a busy schedule in the meeting. He was the moderator for the political symposium, “Swat –Paradise lost or Heaven gained” and it goes to his credit that he carried the program without acrimony in spite of restricting the national politicians to a seven minute speech slot. He was invited by Dow Alumni for a special presentation on their special night.

Prof Siraj was a special guest at the occasion and was asked to address the audience. An otherwise sedate intellectual, he delivered an overwhelmingly emotional speech on quality of education and how we have been left behind in education as a nation. He was accompanied by his better half, son –Dr Yasir Siraj an interventional cardiologist, youngest son Omair Siraj, a well recognized entrepreneur, son in law Dr Ovais –an interventional cardiologist and a very dear old house officer of mine. Both cardiologists have been contributing generously towards cardiology department of Lady reading Hospital and hence saving many lives.

As Vice Chancellor of KMU, I was accorded the unique honour of updating them on KMU and IDPs. I elaborated on my favourite subject of vision of KMU and what have we achieved so far. I updated my colleagues on the ‘Journey of Search and Research’ and what did we achieve from our trips to Aga Khan University, Dow university of Health Sciences, Ziauddin University, LUHS, Shifa College of Medicine and Quaid e Azam University. Our determination to revamp the undergraduate medical education –curriculum, mode and evaluation, strengthen post graduate medical education and initiate post post graduation in special fields was appreciated by all.

Dr Naeem Khan is a strong pillar which offers support to any activity that can benefit people of Frontier. He has a generous soul and a golden heart which aches for the poor. He has been the biggest contributor and main architect of fund raising for IDPs. He had been supporting ‘Khupal Kor’ – an orphanage for a long time. He has been the biggest advocate for Cardiology department, Lady Reading Hospital and has been accumulating the required hard ware himself and has been requesting all members of APCNA.  He wrapped up the meeting by requesting generous help for the IDPs and the Alma matter.

The dinner following the function boasted of local version of Pakistani food and everyone enjoyed the delicacies. It offered enough time to reminiscence the old times spent together in Peshawar and make promises to remain in touch in the future. All well meaning doctors determined to do more for their country in general and their own institution in particular.