Dr. Anwar Parvez Sayed is the country director of I-TECH India.
The International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH) is based at the University of Washington schools of Medicine and Public Health and works with local partners to develop skilled health care workers and strong national health systems in resource-limited countries.
Dr. Perez was trained as a clinician but chose to work in Public Health/ HIV programs for the last 10 years.
He said many other public health professionals, like him, are frustrated while seeing “pathetic” situation of India during the pandemic. He decided to volunteer at Indian Red Cross Society’s Bel-Air Hospital in Panchgani, Mahabaleshwar, Satara, in the state of Maharashtra, as a clinician. This hospital used to be a TB Sanatorium that was started over a century before on the top of the hills of Panchgani and has over 100 beds. The hospital was converted to HIV and TB care and treatment centre in early 1990s and since then is famous in the region for HIV and TB care.
The day he joined the hospital last week, he witnessed five deaths in the age group of 35 to 65 years.
He can talk about what he is seeing and why health has not been a priority in India. He can also talk about what is needed.
