A clash between two generations?
This year’s IAP elections have pitched two contrasting personalities facing each other for the President-Elect post. While one is young, dynamic, articulate, filled with vim and vigor, the other is experienced, orthodox, matured, humble, honest and almost down to earth personality. It is indeed after a many years we are witnessing a straight contest between not only in two altogether distinct personalities but also perhaps between two generations, between two different ideologies and between two individuals who believe in different work cultures and in different methods and styles to accomplish the similar jobs. It will be interesting to see who prevails over whom- experience over exuberance, verve over virtue, eloquence over endurance, or charisma over character!
Why should anyone vote for me?
It is an interesting question. First of all, I am of the strong opinion that election of the President-Elect is neither a process of filling a ceremonious post nor is it a reward for someone’s hard work or a life time achievement award. It is a very serious business of electing the right candidate who is going to lend his or her vision for the next three years for the upliftment of the academy and its members. For this, the aspiring person has to have the requisite exposure, experience, ability, inclination and far vision. I humbly feel that I have some if not all of these characteristics to stake my claim. I would like to draw the attention of all to what has been accomplished so far and what still needs to be done for the academy.
I have been very actively involved in all the 3 major thrust areas of work viz. administrative, academics and advocacy roles. On the administration side I have been actively working for the academy for the last 10 consecutive years in various capacities from AAA to the Secretary General of the academy. All these years I had the opportunity to look very closely at the assets and the needs of the academy while working under 10 executive boards and office bearers of the academy. Pediatric HIV/AIDS project, adolescence project, Nurse’s training project, Pediatric Quiz for the UGs, constitution committee, parent education cell, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology chapter, IMCI guidelines self learning module, and last but not least the PEDICON 2003 held at Mumbai are some of the major projects with which I have been closely involved in the recent past. Central office has taken rapid strides in past few years with computerization, prompt communication, up to date data keeping, e-governance and financial stability. Measures of austerity and the surplus of PEDICON 2003 have helped wipe off a large percentage of the deficit accumulated over last 40 years.
On the academics side, I have been involved in innumerable conferences both as faculty members and as front line organizer. I have published various articles in some leading journals. I have also edited many reading materials for the members. HIV, Hematology and Immunization are some of the fields where I have tried to propagate the message for rational practice to our members. On the account of advocacy the academy has been playing a major role in the health policies of the country of late, and time and again, our help is sought by the health authorities. All this has helped the academy to achieve unbelievable heights.
Lastly, a lot still remains to be done. I have been working sincerely for the Academy with the sole motto of uplifting its image. What I could not do as the office bearer of the academy, I can accomplish as the person at the helm of affairs; that is provided when the members are convinced that they have enough reasons to vote for me for the post of President-Elect.
Dr. Nitin K. Shah
Mumbai
Why am I contesting again?
1] Last year rather I missed victory by a narrow margin but I admire the members for their affection and trust in me.
2] The sincere desire to serve IAP meaningfully (more than successfully)
3] I also think the way a common member thinks that there is no paucity of effective persons all over the country.
4] Not making tall claims but humble promise to serve with earnestness, transparency and accountability.
5] To see that certain reforms initiated by the academy on my insistence such as adoption of ‘three-tier system’ of enrolling a new life-member in the academy are implemented in letter and spirit at the grass-root level so that local and state branches can get their promised shares.
6] To selflessly offer more than two decades of organizational experience for the up-liftment of our beloved academy at different levels.
7] To ensure respect and total compliance of our “mission statement” as regards advocacy, administration and academics.
8] To inculcate and reintroduce values and ethics in the work culture of Today’s pediatricians.
9] I humbly seek a mandate to prove my worth.
Dr.R.K.Agarwal,
Udaipur.