HR0668 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0668 LRB094 14866 AJO 49874 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, In December 2004, tsunami waves created by an undersea earthquake near Indonesia devastated large sectors of the coasts of India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand; and

WHEREAS, President George W. Bush declared a national initiative to assist affected nations with recovery and relief; and

WHEREAS, President Bush called upon former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush to provide leadership for the response to the tsunami tragedy from the federal government, other nations, the private sector, the non-profit sector, and individuals; and

WHEREAS, There is a dearth of imaging equipment in India, and thus an important need of the tsunami victims is a CT scan for their physicians to accurately diagnose medical conditions; and

WHEREAS, The Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre in Tamil Nadu, India, attends to the diagnosis and treatment of the injuries and illnesses of the tsunami victims; the Centre serves low-income and indigent populations at the Hospital and villagers in rural areas at community centers; a mobile CT scan would materially enhance the Centre's services to tsunami victims; and

WHEREAS, Direct Relief International, a non-profit, non-sectarian medical relief organization, supports disaster relief around the world, including tsunami-affected populations in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand; Direct Relief coordinated the Centre's need for a mobile CT scan with the generosity of Illinois individuals, such as Joel Willard who owned the CT scan, and businesses, such as Navistar, to bring the Centre's hope to reality; and

WHEREAS, Navistar International Truck and Engine Corporation, of Warrenville, Illinois, the nation's largest commercial truck, school bus and mid-range diesel engine producer, created and donated a specialized towing tractor to transport the mobile CT scan throughout Tamil Nadu, India; and

WHEREAS, The Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, has been instrumental in processing a request that the U.S. military transport the mobile CT scan to India; Congressman Daniel Lipinski joined Speaker Hastert in this effort; and

WHEREAS, This unique collaborative effort among the public, private, and non-profit sectors of different nations to meet an important need of the tsunami victims by providing a mobile CT scan will serve thousands of people in India by providing physicians with data to make accurate diagnoses; and

WHEREAS, On October 22, 2005, at the dedication ceremony at the Illinois National Guard North Riverside Armory the mobile CT scan and Navistar tractor will be unveiled; and

WHEREAS, Dr. N. Sethuraman from India, the Founder of the Meenakshi Mission Hospital & Research Centre, who traveled to the United States for this dedication is hereby honored for his humanitarian contributions to healthcare in India for the indigent, and given our warmest welcome to the United States and the State of Illinois as he accepts the mobile CT scan for use in the Mobile CT Imaging Program for Tsunami Survivors in Tamil Nadu, India; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Thomas Tighe, the President and CEO of Direct Relief International, who traveled here from Direct Relief's California headquarters, is also given a warm Illinois welcome for being present to complete this gift of equipment for the heavily impacted east coast of Tamil Nadu; and

WHEREAS, In India, the mobile CT scan will travel over 500 kilometers from northern Tamil Nadu to the southern tip of the state and provide imaging diagnostic services to the tsunami-affected coastal region; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we warmly welcome Dr. N. Sethuraman and Mr. Thomas Tighe to Illinois for this dedication, and that we commend and congratulate Dr. N. Sethuraman, the Meenakshi Mission Hospital & Research Centre, Joel Willard, Navistar International Truck and Engine Corporation, Mr. Thomas Tighe, Direct Relief International, the Illinois National Guard, and the United States government and its military services for their cooperation and coordination in this humanitarian project; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to Dr. N. Sethuraman, Joel Willard, Navistar International, Mr. Thomas Tighe, Speaker Hastert, Congressman Lipinski, and the Illinois National Guard North Riverside Armory as an expression of our esteem.