AJEET KOTHARI. M.D.

Dear Friends and fellow ALUMNI:

It is my pleasure and honor to bring the first communiqué and newsletter of the year 2006. In this communication, I would like to provide an update to the alumni about all the past, recent and future planned activities and programs organized and initiated by the Baroda Medical College Association of North America.

First, I would like to thank all the previous executive committee members, board of trustees, and all the members for their support, hard work and contribution and in electing me to lead our organization into Twenty First Century. I am proud to be alumnus of Baroda Medical College and the president of the organization.

I would like to start with brief history beginning with the inception of the BMCAA organization. In the late 1980s, a concept of developing a directory of all Baroda Medical Graduates in USA was conceived and then was followed by forming the written constitution of the BMCAA organization. After that, the organization has been very active and had eight successful conventions including the very first one in 1991, which was organized and lead by Dr. Madhu Parikh at Ormond Beach, Florida.

We began with a small project of renovating the examination hall of the college and then followed with a number of projects that we successfully funded and organized by the BMCAA. In the year 1997-1998, we took a major challenge of renovating the Baroda Medical College building and we completed that well. In 1998, we were requested once again, to be a part of another big project of renovating all the fifty-four wards of Sir Sayaji Rao General Hospital. This project got named as “Project Holycare” and was initiated and supported by Satyam Shivam Sundram Trust an NGO, Gujarat State Government, and local chapter of BMCAA. We accepted the challenge and have been working on it since 1998 and have played a major role in the progress.

We are now in 2006 and I am very pleased to report that this noble effort has paid off and the hospital is providing better care and service to the patients of city of Vadodara and the State of Gujarat. We are hoping that Project Holycare will be finished in the next 1-2 years. I would like to thank all the alumni donors for their generous donations towards this noble case and many others who have devoted significant time towards making SSG Hospital a state-of-the-art hospital.

One of my personal desires is to bring both the east and west a whole lost closer in teams of exchange of knowledge and know how in the areas of practicing medicine. In that regard, we will arrange a very successful CME program and a surgical workshop at BMC and SSG Hospital. One of the lofty goals that we have is to bring the repulation and status of Baroda Medical College, their students, and SSG Hospital to one of best medical college hospital in India and get recognized as the institution with excellence in medical education.

• For all BMCAA members to have easier interactions and access Baroda Medical College. For all BMCAA members visiting Baroda, Dr. Kamal Pathak has agreed to meet them at any time and assist in arranging educational programs and tour of the renovated hospital and college.

• We also have hired Mr. Amlani (staff member of BMC office) to assist and expedite the processing of BMCAA members requests for items as simple as necessary documents from the college to pursue further education, getting privilege in hospital and/or getting documents to get practicing license in any state. Hi Mr. Amlani contact information is ; 0265-2662721 (residence), 0265-2427545 (office) and 9375826404 (cell).

Future Planned activities and programs:

1. SSG Hospital OB Building.

2. Renovation of SSG Hospital Medical wards.

3. Renovation of RMO quarters.

4. CME and Surgical Workshop.

Next B.M.C. Conventions:

• November (23, 24, 25) 2007, Orlando, Florida

Contact: Dr. Madhu Parikh

Tel. No: 386-677-4411

Email: parikhmadhu@aol.com