Australian High Commission Hosts Round Table Conference to Mark the 75th Anniversary of CHAI

CHAI in collaboration with the Australian High Commission and the University of Melbourne, hosted a round table conference on Disability and Healthcare at the margins on Feb 4^th, 2019 to celebrate the legacy of Sr Dr Mary Glowrey and to mark the 75^th anniversary of CHAI. The event was attended by experts from a wide spectrum of functional areas in the health and disability sectors from both India and Australia and also included presentations by Director General-CHAI Rev. Dr. Mathew Abraham and the Chancellor of University of Melbourne Allan Myers AC, QC. With the theme “Responding to Disease and Disability at the margins”, there was a panel session organised to discuss on improving healthcare access for the poor, marginalised and rural patients. The eminent panellists included Secretary Shakuntala Gamlin, Dept of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Dr Henk Bekedem, WHO Representative to India, Professor Bruce Bonyhady AM, Executive Chair &Director, Melbourne Disability Institute, Professor Suzanne Crowe AM, St Vincent’s Health, Rev.Dr Mathew Abraham, Director-General, CHAI and Professor Craig Jeffrey, Director of the Australia-India Institute.

His Excellency, Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas SFX, Secretary General of Catholic Bishops Conference of India addressed the gathering, extolling the legacy of Sr Dr Mary Glowrey. His Excellency spoke about her virtue as a systems thinker for improving health systems both in India and in Australia, her selfless mission.

The program featured the inauguration of the Mary Glowrey-Liliane Disability Award for excellence in disability work by a representative of Liliane Foundation, Mr. Frank Bron.

The CHAI board was represented by the CHAI president, Sr. Victoria Narishetty, Secretary Fr. George Kannanthanam and treasurer Sr. Bhavya. Sr. Dr. Beena Madhavath, President of Sister Doctors Forum of India was also a part of the event.

The Australian High Commission and University of Melbourne linkages were co-ordinated by Dr. Nathan Grills, Asso. Prof., University of Melbourne to whom CHAI is grateful for the success of the event.Australia’s High Commissioner to India, Her Excellency Ms Harinder Sidhu, said “I am delighted to host this event to celebrate the legacy of Sister Dr Mary Glowrey, an Australian who made a substantial contribution in healthcare delivery to the poor in India.”