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“TRIBUTE TO DR. RAJESH VYAS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E84 on Jan. 26, 2010.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO DR. RAJESH VYAS
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HON. ED WHITFIELD
of kentucky
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Mr. WHITFIELD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a member of our Foreign Service and a great American. Dr. Rajesh Vyas is a former resident of Kentucky's First Congressional district and currently serves as our nation's Regional Medical Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Manila. Recently, Dr. Vyas celebrated his twentieth year of practicing medicine.
Prior to starting with the State Department, Dr. Vyas practiced medicine for two years at Logan Memorial Hospital and lived in Russellville, Kentucky, both in my Congressional district. Dr. Vyas also served our nation's veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs for a number of years.
After joining the Foreign Service, Dr. Vyas was posted to Pakistan and served at our Islamabad Embassy. From there he was dispatched to his current position in Manila. He has responsibility for overseeing the medical services provided at a number of our diplomatic missions throughout Asia. In other words, Dr. Vyas serves and protects the men and women who represent our country at our Embassies and Consulates throughout the world.
Ironically, when a Foreign Service officer recently became very ill in Manila, this same Dr. Vyas who had practiced medicine in my Congressional district in Kentucky took steps that saved his life, and that officer was a former member of my own staff. Dr. Vyas accurately assessed the situation, determined what the individual needed and then developed a plan that took into account the limits of local health care to get the American officer the care and treatment he needed. Without the doctor's situational and cultural awareness, this American diplomat might have lost his life.
Dr. Vyas has spent twenty years practicing medicine and a significant number of those years serving and protecting our veterans and our diplomats overseas. I know his wife and two sons are tremendously proud of him and I am, too. I ask the House to join me in saluting this fine American who protects those who have served us in our armed forces and the men and women of our diplomatic corps who are serving us at this very moment overseas.
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