Mukesh Haikerwal
Mukesh Chandra Haikerwal (born 28 December 1960) is a British-Australian medical doctor practising in Melbourne. From 2005 to 2007, he was the Federal President of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), and in 2011 became a Companion of the Order of Australia. He supports the not-for-profit organisation Her Heart and is a strong advocate for better working conditions for medical staff. Early in 2020, Haikerwal coordinated and led ongoing lobbying for the provision of adequate supplies of protective equipment for those dealing with COVID-19 pandemic. Early life and education. The child of Indian-born British citizens  who were working for the UN in Nigeria, Haikerwal, born in Lucknow, India, was sent to a London boarding school at the age of six. In 1981, the year he started medical school in the English city of Leicester, his mother left for Australia to join his father who had migrated the year before. In 1990, Haikerwal, by then married, arrived in Melbourne and set up the Altona North Medical Practice where he still works. Medical career. Haikerwal was employed for some time as a doctor at Leicester General Hospital, working 72-hour weeks, then more on weekends. He lobbied  for better conditions, later telling "The Age" newspaper, "If you want someone to work hard, pay them properly and give them good conditions. If you've got doctors that are working and happy, they'll do a better job. And the patients will benefit at the end of the day, too." Haikerwal travelled to Australia in 1982 to visit his family and the country. Eight years later, he emigrated permanently and set up a general practice in Melbourne's western suburbs, where he still works. He is a Professor in the School of Medicine at Flinders University, is a director  at Brain Injury Australiaand chairs the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Haikerwal is an advisor for Her Heart, a not-for-profit focused on the prevention of women's heart disease. He is Chair of the Beyond Blue National Doctors’ Mental Health Program and the General Practice Data Governance committee. In April 2011, he was appointed Chair of Council of the World Medical Association. He works with Cancer Victoria to improve advocacy and knowledge of cancer, cancer care, and facilities. Assault. On 27 September 2008, Haikerwal nearly died after being assaulted and robbed by five men near Dennis Reserve  in Williamstown, Victoria. Haikerwal sustained serious head injuries in the attack, and was in a coma for 24 hours, remaining in hospital for two months. He underwent emergency brain surgery to remove a blood clot,and suffered a brain injury which required him to learn how to walk and talk again. Honours. On 1 January 2001, he was granted the Centenary Medal for service to medicine. In the Australia Day Honours in 2011, Haikerwal was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for "distinguished service to medical administration, to the promotion of public health through leadership roles with professional  organisations, particularly the Australian Medical Association, to the reform of the Australian health system through the optimisation of information technology, and as a general practitioner". In 2018, he was upgraded to a Companion of the Order of Australia, Australia's highest civilian honour, for "eminent service to medical governance, administration, and technology, and to medicine, through leadership roles with a range of organisations, to education and the not-for-profit sector, and to the community of western Melbourne". Coronavirus pandemic 2020. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, Haikerwal advocated for rigorous testing procedures and turned the car park of  his family physician office into a government-sponsored respiratory clinic. He took a strong lead coordinating doctors in Melbourne to deal with technological issues related to systems for tracing the spread of the virus, and has continued to speak freely about the challenges faced by staff on the frontline, particularly with regard to getting adequate supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE). Personal life. Haikerwal is married to Karyn Alexander - who is also a doctor - and they have three sons Ajaya, Suresh, and Jeevan.