Dec. 24, 2003, Akron City
Dr. Tanmay Girish Lal, a kidney transplant specialist from India ,
who was forced to set aside his scalpel for the past six months after
he was denied a visa by the U.S. government soon will be back in an
Akron hospital operating room.
Dr. Lal won a special visa Friday, allowing him to resume his practice
of medicine. For the past six months, he has been a stay-at-home father,
caring for his 21-month-old daughter. In October, Lal's application
for a special O-1 visa was denied by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services. The visa allows foreign-born professionals with ``extraordinary
ability'' in science, business or athletics to stay in the United States
after completing school or advanced training.
In its denial, the government said Lal ``is an accomplished physician
and researcher,'' but he has not achieved national or international
acclaim or reached ``the small percentage at the very top of his field.''
Lal was able to stay here in the United States with his family without
the visa, , but he couldn't practice medicine. Summa Health System was
forced to consider closing its 36-year-old transplant program at Akron
City Hospital.
Lal learned that a different kind of visa, known as H1-B, was approved.
Under terms of this visa, doctors are required to provide care to underserved
populations, such as the uninsured or those on Medicaid.
Lal will practice at Akron Community Health Resources on South Arlington
Road and at Summa, which now will be able to keep its transplant program
operating. He expects to begin practicing again by mid- to late January.