New Delhi, Oct 9 Doctors in the cosmetic sector may have been hit and elective surgeries reduced, but doctors in the US had otherwise been insulated from the recession, said Dr Vinod Shah, president of the American Association of Physcians of Indian Origin (AAPI).

Describing doctors and the healthcare sector as recession proof, Shah said: "Nobody can skip a doctor. However, doctors working in the cosmetic sector have been affected. Elective surgery has gone down.

"There may be a little fluctuation but not enough to create impact on our business or lifestyle," Shah, who was here for a brief visit, told IANS.

AAPI, the second largest medical association after the American Medical Association in the US, comprises 52,000 medical practitioners of Indian origin and 15,000 medical students of Indian origin.

The organisation would hold its third healthcare summit here from Jan 2.

"How to use technology to improve quality care would be the highlight of the summit," Shah said. "Technology is an answer to our future which can connect the best minds without being physically there."

AAPI had sponsored 17 rural health centres in different parts of India and was willing to help the country's health sector in a big way, he said.

Discussing the growth of medical tourism in India, he said it would not impact Indian doctors practicing in the US.

"The US really has a good healthcare system," said Shah, who has been practicing in the US for the past 42 years.

"People are not simply going to come here. What about post-operative care? You cannot make healthcare work remotely. There should be collaborative effort between people practicing in the US and in India and also between institutions in both the countries."

In his view, India has enormous potential to develop medical tourism.

"Physicians here are highly trained and competitive and technologically sound. It is only a question of developing a trust in a system through relationship. In the US there are certain standards ... there is a joint commission looking into quality. We are ready to help here to set standards to improve access and quality." (IANS)