FROM THE DESK OF PRESIDENT AMC 2022-23

Dr. Nilima Vaidya Bhamare

Dear Members,

A very warm welcome to all AMCites in this 50th birthday year of AMC. A heartfelt thank you to all those who took time out for the installation of the new committee, an important moment in my life. Heartfelt gratitude to all

Let us begin our new journey with the invocation of the supreme Lord Ganesha

Vakra-Tunndda, Maha-Kaaya,
Surya-Kotti Samaprabha ,
Nirvighnam Kurume Deva ,
Sarva-Kaaryeshu sarvada

Meaning: Salutations to the one who has a curved trunk, and a huge body, the one who radiates the glow of millions of Suns, and to the one who removes obstacles from the pathway to progress.

I have risen from the ashes, like the phoenix.... A much more stronger woman than I ever was. If I could brave those tumultuous elections, I can sail thru this year no doubt. But just sail thru is not what I want to do. I want to bring about a positive change in the way society looks at us. Want to bring back the lost glory of our profession. And without you all with me in this endeavor, it will fail before it even begins. Let us all strive to make patient safety our goal, in order to be safe ourselves. Let the patient who goes back home happily from the hospital, be your marketing device. Not the paid platforms like Practo or Pristine care, or commissions to medical agents. Let our fabulous work attract more patients to our clinics rather than cheaper therapies & surgery than the next door doctor. Let none of us criticize our fraternity colleagues for a few odd rupees .... Remember karma will get back at you one day. Just like u cannot take away someone else's destiny, no one can take away us. Be good, do good, should be our motto.

My journey through AMC has been tough & colourful. With loads of ups & downs. I learnt a lot during this journey. From a fledging committee member to now the President of AMC has been a steady climb. I have had to fight for getting to where I am today. When you are challenged, you learn much more about your own strengths and develop great courage. You find yourself in the truest sense. Somewhere my up righteousness and straight forward attitude has got me in more trouble than helped me. If you don't mould your attitudes with times you don't grow wiser. I learnt how to taper my over zealousness and how to be diplomatic without changing my values. I have however, kept the fire in my belly strong & burning!

I, was an activist before I joined AMC. And I chose AMC as the organization I want to work with because of its strong medicolegal stance.

AMC has helped many members fight their legal battles and won many victories. The managing committee members are dedicated to do good for the fraternity.

The various cells do work diligently in solving member’s issues, be it the NOAH cell, PI cell, CBS cell or H&A Cell.

A lot more needs to be done to attract the younger doctors into the various schemes. And i shall work towards that end.

AMC is an organization to reckon with.

My stint with AMC allowed me to liaison with the government & try to bring about change for our fraternity.

The year ahead shall be my true test as a leader. I aspire to be that President who will reinstill the faith that associations can do great work where the voice of dissent is heard & made a powerful tool of growth, where the younger generation shall be given a chance to prove that dreams can be achieved & as a woman, inspire more women to join the organization. I hope that we shall be able to help hold hands with every member through turbulent times.

AMC is what it is today because of the whole hearted dedication of all its Past Presidents, Secretaries & committee members. I acknowledge with gratitude, their contribution to the greatness of this organization & as its 51st President promise to do my very best to keep the flag flying high & making every member proud to be a part of the AMC family! I have always believed in doing the maximum I can before I give up..... But over the years I have grown wiser and changed my stance...... Never give up..... THODA AUR TRY KARTEIN HAI!

Never give up the pursuit of your dreams, maybe success was waiting for you just round the corner, but you never took that turn!!!

Leadership is not about glorious crowning acts, but about keeping your team focused on the goals, motivated to do their best to achieve it. Where the stakes are high, & the consequences really matter, like the Consumer Protection Act, PCPNDT Act, the POCSO Act, the Clinical Establishment Act etc. which affect our fraternity most, we will have to pool all our resources & dedication. I believe that leadership is about laying the groundwork for others success & then standing back & letting them shine.

Hence, I shall be the mentor for future leaders who will steer this organization on the right pathway to achieve the lost glory of our profession so that it encourages the younger generation to become doctors and stay in this country in an atmosphere of respect. As I grow older & wiser, I remember the words of the great writer & poet, Donna Ashworth. She says .....

Don’t prioritize your looks my friend, as they won’t last the journey.
Your sense of humor though, will only get better with age.
Your intuition will grow and expand like a majestic cloak of wisdom.
Your ability to choose your battles, will be fine-tuned to perfection.
Your capacity for stillness, for living in the moment, will blossom.
Your desire to live each and every moment will transcend all other wants.
Your instinct for knowing what and who is worth your time, will grow and flourish like the ivy on the castle wall.
Don't prioritize your looks my friend,
they will change forevermore....
That pursuit is one of much sadness and disappointment.

Prioritize the uniqueness that makes you “YOU “, and the invisible magnet that draws in other like-minded souls, to dance in your orbit.
These are the things which will only get better & better with age.
Let us, the whole AMC Family, the OB, MC & each & every member come together with other medical associations, & work towards a better future for our fraternity.

I intend to establish AMC as a brand and reach out to every member in a unique way. I shall strive to create AMCs all across the State & beyond. In that I shall need help from each one of you. Come forward & do proactively help us achieve that.

And now comes the most important part. The Expression of Gratitude ...

A very big thank you

to my parents for creating me & giving me all the values that i grew up with. Aai..... Thank you! My father is no more, but I am sure he is proud of what he has helped create.

To my sister, Lalita, for setting benchmarks for me & my brother to live up to & inspire us to try & do better than the best.
To my brother, Abhijit, who just left for Memphis for an emergency, for inspiring me to follow a healthy diet & exercise routine.

To my children, Nishita & Sidharth for making me a mother ...... Marathit ek gana aahe .... Bala hou Kashi utaraayi, tuzhya mule me zhaale Aai! They have taught me the true meaning of patience, selfless love & forgiveness, blunder after blunder, to my black beauty, my youngest daughter Angel, my female Labrador, who has absorbed all the negativity and is by my side all the time,
to my husband who made me aware of my hidden strengths and molded me to be a stronger independent woman,
to Krishnakumar, my tech savvy friend, philosopher & guide, for being my sounding board and 24/7 support, at the same time,
to Nupur & Tasneem my bestest friends from grant medical College,
to Suman by bestie from residency days, to Shilpa Balakrishnan for having taught me how to ride a bike and helped me tick that passion off my bucket list.

to my Mumbai Dhadkan gang , Dr. Anjali Chabbria , Mrs Anjali Damania , Dr. Anand Parihar , Dr. Shruti manaktala , Dr. Sanjay Goel , Dr. Tushar Shah , Lion Chetan Shah & Dr. Charuta Mandke for teaching me how to give back & be useful to society
To the suave Dr. Sangita Pikale , the wise Dr. Ketan Parikh , the steadfast Dr. Deepak Baid & the passionate Dr. Vipin Checker .... All past Presidents of AMC, to have shown me how to handle pressures and still shine thru.

To Dr. Shiv Kumar Utture, to have signed my nomination paper and sent out a poster for me too.
To Dr. Suhas Pingle, Dr. Jayesh Lele, Dr. Santosh kadam, thank you for your encouraging words,
To Dr. Harish Shetty , Dr. Dilip Raichura , Dr. Nandita palshetkar , Dr. Shilpa Bhatia , Dr. Gherwara , Dr. Deepak Chaturvedi , Dr. Nimesh Mehta , Dr. Lata Ghanshamnani , Dr. Vijay Bhave , Dr. Vitthal Bellubbi , Dr. Santosh Jaybhaye & Dr. Preeti Kanojia
For their immense support.

To my Rakhi brothers Dr. Praveen Salunkhe (dentist) who taught me to smile in difficult times & Dr. Abhijit Desai (ophthalmologist) who ensured that not only sight, but my vision was clear.
Let me not forget to acknowledge the AMC members who voted me to this chair and showed their faith in me
Also let me thank the seniors in the present Managing committee, shall not name any for the risk of missing out on some as there are far too many, & too precious to cause them hurt, who have promised me their whole hearted support thru the year letting bygones be bygones.

And last, but definitely not the least Dr. Arshad Ghulam Mohammed, who was the actual manager of my elegant campaign. Thank you for all that you did for me. It wouldn't have been possible without you.
I cannot ever forget Dr. Prakash Baba Amte who unfortunately could not be with us today, but has conveyed his message to bless the entire committee.

प्रिय निलिमास,
सस्नेह आशीर्वाद.
तुझे निमंत्रण मिळाले , पण मी त्याला मान्यता देऊ शकलो नाही , आणि प्रत्यक्षात तुझ्या समारंभात सहभागी होऊ शकलो नाही. रागावू नकोस. माझे आशीर्वाद सदैव तुझ्या पाठीशी आहेत, हे कधीच विसरु नकोस. असोसिएशन ऑफ मेडिकल कन्सल्टंटस, मुंबई या तेरा हजारपेक्षा अधिक डॉक्टरांच्या संस्थेची तू आज प्रेसिडेंट बनणार, याचा मला अतिशय अभिमान वाटतोय.
कांदिवली मेडिकल असोसिएशनच्या फंक्शन मध्ये आपली पहिली भेट झाल्याचे मला आठवतंय. मुंबई धडकन संस्था स्थापन करून त्या मार्गे लोकांची मदत करायला सदैव तयार असणाऱ्या तुझ्या स्वभावाला मी ओळखून आहे. अशीच लोकांची मदत करत राहा. तुझ्या सहकाऱ्यांना बरोबर घेऊन तू मजल, दर मजल करत अथक काम करून नक्कीच सर्वांची स्वप्नं साकारत आली आहेस आणि अशीच कामे करीत राहशील, याची मला खात्री आहे. आम्हां सर्वांच्या शुभेच्छा तुझ्यासोबत नेहमीच राहणार आहेत.
तुला आणि नवीन निवडून आलेल्या सर्व कमिटी मेंबर्सना माझे आशीर्वाद. डॉक्टर कम्युनिटीला आज तुझ्यासारख्या निडर स्वभावाच्या नेतृत्वाची गरज आहे आणि त्यासाठी तू नक्कीच पात्र आहेस. हे कार्य तू योग्य प्रकारे हाताळशील याचा मला विश्वास आहे. "मी तुझ्या वडिलांच्या जागी आहे," असे तू मला नेहमी सांगतेस. माझे आशीर्वाद तुझ्याबरोबर आहेतच. चांगलं नेटाने काम कर. यश तुझ्याबरोबर येईलच.
सगळ्यांना परत एकदा अनेक आशीर्वाद!
जय हिंद!!

Thank you all for listening to me patiently. There is a lot more to say, but I would rather say it with my work next year, rather than just promissory words.

Long live AMC!!!

Jai hind

Jai Maharashtra