The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Private Practicing Doctors Association (ANIPPDA) celebrated its 13th anniversary on July 27, 2025, at Hotel TSG Emerald View, marking over a decade of unified efforts to strengthen ethical healthcare delivery and promote community service across the archipelago.
Founded in 2012, the association has grown into a critical support system for private practitioners across disciplines, including allopathy, dentistry, homeopathy, and physiotherapy. Over the years, it has actively promoted unity among healthcare professionals, strengthened medical ethics, and brought quality medical care to underserved rural populations.
The association’s anniversary this year was not merely a symbolic event but a reflection on its extensive fieldwork, advocacy, and crisis support roles. Through a network of voluntary medical and dental camps, the association has delivered primary healthcare services—such as general health checkups, blood pressure and diabetes screening, eye checkups, and even cataract surgeries—to remote regions of the islands. These camps were often held in partnership with civic and non-governmental collaborators including Rotary Club of Port Blair, Humane Touch, Green Islands Foundation, local panchayats, and the Forest and Health Departments.
As part of its community outreach, ANIPPDA also organized awareness drives on hygiene, nutrition, and lifestyle diseases, alongside multi-specialty health camps involving pediatricians, gynecologists, neuro-psychiatrists, dental surgeons, ENT specialists, general physicians, and pathologists. These camps not only provided early diagnosis and treatment but helped bridge the trust gap between private practitioners and the island’s general population.
The association has paid special attention to oral health in children and adults, conducting dental checkups and hygiene education in schools, as well as offering free extractions and minor procedures on-site. Camps also included tobacco cessation counselling and awareness about oral cancer, with the intent to strengthen long-term preventive care.
Training has been a major focus. The association held Basic Life Support workshops for ANIIMS students and private practitioners, alongside sessions on handling emergencies, drug and internet addiction, and sexual offence-related medical examination protocols under POCSO. These Continuing Medical Education (CME) sessions aimed to equip members with knowledge not just in clinical skills, but also medico-legal responsibilities.
The association has also been active in organizing thematic health weeks, including breastfeeding awareness campaigns, cervical and breast cancer detection camps, and cardiac screening during World Diabetes Day. Notably, a first-of-its-kind audiometry camp was held by Chirayu Children Hospital, while fire safety training was conducted in collaboration with the local Fire Brigade for clinic staff.
The COVID-19 pandemic served as a turning point in the association’s public profile. During lockdowns, ANIPPDA-affiliated clinics remained operational, delivering essential services and tele-consultations. According to Dr. Rohindra Lal, the association’s president, private hospitals played a key role in easing pressure on the government healthcare system during the crisis.
General Secretary Dr. Dinesh stated that the association’s journey is driven by compassion and a long-term vision to embed ethical and accessible healthcare into the community fabric. “We continue with the mission to serve Islanders with quality care and professional solidarity,” he said.
As it steps into its 14th year, ANIPPDA plans to expand its outreach, improve training, and continue advocating for a collaborative healthcare ecosystem that includes both public and private entities. From policy awareness to field-level interventions, the association’s evolution reflects the changing needs and aspirations of healthcare delivery in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
