Amritsar, Jan 12: The Indian International Friendship Society has presented the "Glory of India Award" to Dr. Shivinder Singh Sandhu, an orthopaedic surgeon based in USA, at a recently held Sixth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in New Delhi.

Amir Raj Bansi, Minister for Sports and Culture, Government of Africa presented him the award.

Dr. Sandhu has been awarded for his meritorious accomplishments in diversified fields of medicine, education and social sensitisation such as female feticides, drug addiction and rural sustainability activities.

Hailing from the family of freedom fighters, Dr. Sandhu rose to international eminence as an orthopaedic surgeon. He went on to become an International Scholar at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland in USA.

He specialised in Fracture Management and became a Fellow AO at the University Clinic, HOMBURG-SAAR in Germany.

Dr. Sandhu has been honoured by the state of Punjab with the 'State Award' for academics/surgery in 2002. In 2003, the American Biographical Institute bestowed him with the 'Man of the Year Award'.

Dr. Sandhu, who is one of the keynote speakers who spoke about general health care facilities for the country, emphasised on bridging the gap between the corporate health care delivery and the delivery in the primary health care.

Lamenting on the low medical insurance cover, which is just three per cent, he emphasised on increasing the cover.

"In the absence of this cover, approximately 60 per cent of the annual income of the individual goes towards health care," he added. (ANI)