Dr. Alexander Thomas, President of the Association of Healthcare Providers – India (AHPI), was  awarded the prestigious IMA Dr. M. G. Garg All Time Achievement Award 2022, for his outstanding and distinguished contribution to the medical profession in India, at the 97th Annual National Conference of the Indian Medical Association held on 27 December in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The award was presented to Dr. Thomas by IMA President, Dr. Sahajanand Prasad Singh and IMA Secretary-General, Dr. Jayesh Lele. 

Dr. Thomas is an orthopaedic surgeon and healthcare policy leader who has been serving the health sector for over 43 years, contributing significantly towards enabling availability of quality healthcare at the grassroots in India. He is currently the President of AHPI, and also advises the Association of National Board Accredited Institutions (ANBAI) and the Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organisations (CAHO), among others.

Dr.Thomas was successful in bringing together two of the largest organisations of our Country, the Association of Healthcare Providers India (AHPI), representing over 10,000 healthcare institutions and the Indian Medical Association (IMA) representing over 3,75,000 practitioners of modern medicine.  Together, they have effectively tackled various issues including the Covid crisis, the problem of violence against healthcare workers, and in making assault against healthcare workers a non-bailable offence, among others. He was responsible for the formation of the National Working groups with IMA, AHPI, Assocham, CII, FICCI and NATHEALTH, which effectively liasoned with the Government and States in successfully handling the COVID 19 Crisis and in seeking package rates which are scientifically arrived at and operationally feasible and viable for the hospitals.

As the Director of the Bangalore Baptist Hospital from 2006-2014, he upgraded the institution into a nationally-awarded multi-speciality Centre of Excellence.  Dr. Thomas is working closely with the Central government, State governments and the private sector, liaising between them for improved healthcare quality, with the ultimate aim of providing affordable, accessible, quality healthcare for all.

He has edited several publications, of which recent ones include; Communicate. Care. Cure. A Guide to Healthcare Communication (3rd Edition) in 2019; Climate Change and the Health Sector: Healing the World (with PHFI) in 2021; the Handbook of Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety (3rd Edition); Health Law and Ethics: Critical Reflections (with NLSIU); Perils in Practice: The Prevention of Violence Against Healthcare Professionals (with the Indian Medical Association); In Sound Health: A Handbook on Sound, Music and Health; and The Future of Healthcare: Transforming with Technology, all in 2022.

Dr. Thomas has been recognised for his work by the UAE Government (2022), the Association of National Board Accredited Institutions (2022), the Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organisations (2018), the Indian Medical Association (2016) and the National Board of Examinations (2014).