Dr Sreehari Rao appointed Chairman, Dr Gogineni Sujatha named Vice-Chairman of AP Medical Council

Vijayawada: In a latest development, the Andhra Pradesh Health Department has appointed renowned radiologist Dr Daggumati Sreehari Rao as the new Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council, with Dr Gogineni Sujatha named as the Vice-Chairman.  

Previously, Medical Dialogues reported that six newly appointed interim members of the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council, including Dr Rao and Dr Sujatha, took their oath at Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences. Health Minister Y. Satya Kumar Yadav, the chief guest for the ceremony, administered the oath and congratulated them on their new roles.

The newly sworn-in members are Dr. Gogineni Sujatha, MD (Pulmonology) and Professor at Pinnamaneni Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Foundation, Vijayawada; Dr. Kalavakollu Venkata Subba Naidu, Professor of Pulmonology from Ongole; Dr. Daggumati Srihari Rao, a Radiologist and former Vice-Chairman of APSMC, Tirupati; Dr. Swarma Geetha, a Gynecologist from Podili, Prakasam district; Dr. S. Kesava Rao Babu, President of IMA, Vijayawada; and Dr. Chunduri Malliswari, a Doctor of Medicine from Bhimavaram.

Also read- 6 Interim Members of AP Medical Council Sworn In

Health Special Chief Secretary M.T. Krishna Babu had previously assured that a chairperson would soon be appointed from among the appointed interim members. Keeping his assurance, the government has now selected two of them to serve as the new chairman and vice-chairman of the council.

Dr. Daggumati Sreehari Rao, a native of Kavali in Nellore district, is a radiologist based in Tirupati. With nearly three decades of experience in the field, he has been operating Sri Sai SV Diagnostics in Tirupati since 1997, after a brief tenure at SVIMS Hospital, reports The Hans India. 

Dr Rao was also a leading candidate for the Tirupati Lok Sabha seat in the last elections. He previously served as Vice Chairman of the AP Medical Council and has held prominent roles in various medical associations. He also served as the national vice-president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and was also state president of IMA. He had also led the AP Nursing Homes and Hospitals Association. Currently, Dr Rao is the president-elect of the Indian Radiologists Association (IRA).

Speaking to Medical Dialogues, Dr Daggumati Sreehari Rao, who will take charge of the council from tomorrow, said, "My team members and I at APMC will collectively take decisions and work together as a team. Our priority is to streamline the existing system within APMC. The council is expecting improved communication and a functional helpline system. We will work to rectify these issues promptly. Additionally, efforts will be made to simplify the online upload process."

"Tomorrow, we will discuss the issues related to Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) and the latest court decision on the matter. We also plan to reduce the required credit hours for senior citizen doctors. Another initiative is the implementation of gold medal presentations to meritorious final-year students of NTR University of Health Sciences and at the college level. We aim to organise zonal conferences in each zone, and APMC itself will issue credit hours for participation. A national conference for all medical councils across India is also being planned. To expedite the renewal process, we will arrange district-level renewals weekly until all 55,000 APMC member renewals are completed," he added. 

Also read- AP constitutes 6-member Interim Medical Council