AAPI President Hemant Patel said, "We will train the trainees for screening diabetes, cardio-vascular diseases and other ailments among the rural population." He was addressing a gathering at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, organised by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs in New York Sunday.

The project is expected to start in December. "We also plan to reach other states," Dr. Patel said.

Physicians will lead each team, implementing the programme for a particular disease. Minor ailments will be referred to primary health centres (PHCs), major ones to district civil hospitals, and patients requiring specialised care will be sent to hospitals attached to medical colleges and research institutes, Dr. Patel said.

"The fast growing IT and communication sector offers a tremendous opportunity to tap Indian Diaspora's combined knowledge to establish a link between AAPI and the primary health care system in India," he added.

The AAPI has also embarked on a private-public partnership to improve the health care system in India. The first Indo-US Health Care Summit, supported by the Medical Council of India and Indian Medical Association, will be held in New Delhi on Dec 13. It will bring together leading experts from the US and India to focus on prevention, treatment and management of diseases.

Started in 1982 in Detroit, Michigan, the AAPI has over 42,000 physicians and 15,000 medical students of Indian origin on its roll.