Indian doctor awarded gold medal by Aus Medical Association

A prominent Indian-origin doctor has been awarded the Australian Medical Association's highest honour for his outstanding service to the medical profession and the community.
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) honoured Mukesh Haikerwal, who is a former president of the association, with the AMA Gold Medal.
Presenting the medal to him at the association's national conference, AMA President Steve Hambleton said Haikerwal was a leading figure in the medical profession for many years and his long list of significant and enduring achievements warranted the Association's highest accolade.
"In the last two decades, Haikerwal has been an extraordinarily active and committed member of the AMA, advancing the interests of members and patients at almost every level of the organisation," Hambleton said.

Haikerwal became an AMA Victoria State Councillor in 1995, rising to the post of the State President in 2001 and four years later became Federal AMA President.
He has held numerous important and demanding positions within the Association, including Chair of the Taskforce on Indigenous Health and the Committee on the Care of Older People as well as serving on the General Practice, Public Health, Therapeutics, and Doctors in Training committees.
"During his long and distinguished record of service, he has been at the forefront of many issues pivotal to the health care system," Hambleton said.
He said as AMA President Haikerwal confronted the spectre of medical racism and led the association in condemning abuse of international medical graduates.