AMDA Institute of Health Science, Damak

In 1979, a Japanese doctor, Dr. Shigeru Suganami, and two medical students rushed to Thailand to extend assistance to Cambodian Civil war refugees. Their good intentions and enthusiasm, however, could not be achieved, as circumstance did not allow them the opportunity to visit the refugees. These very circumstances served as the impetus for the Japanese doctor and medical students to eventually reach out to their colleagues in other countries. It dawned to them that things would have been facilitated if they have known some health practitioners in the local communities. It is with this frustration and helplessness, that these medical practitioners conceived the idea of building bridges with their neighbors. In 1984, the concept got its formal launching under the banner of THE ASSOCIATION OF MEDICAL DOCTORS FOR ASIA. In 1994, as the services of the association extended beyond Asia, participants of the 10th business meeting decided to change the name of the organization to THE ASSOCIATION OF MEDICAL DOCTORS OF ASIA. Few years’ back, the association has opened its doors to members of the allied medical professions and non-health professions who wish to contribute in the attainment of the organization’s objectives. Today, the organization simply bears the banner AMDA-International. AMDA International has its International Secretariat in Okayama City, Japan.