"We were not supposed to have become Americans. My parents stopped in three other countries – including a brutal dictatorship – on their journey to get here. They saved up money and scrounged for information about job opportunities, always knowing that America was the destination," Murthy said.

In his first major policy speech, Murthy vowed to improve the public health of the country. "Here's the thing: even as millions of Americans get covered through the Affordable Care Act, we still have much more to do," he said.

"Public health does not exist in a vacuum. It is intrinsically linked to education, employment, the environment and our economy. There is a whole world beyond hospital corridors and clinic waiting rooms where people are struggling with issues of transportation, housing and development," he said.

"The point is, we cannot effectively address the challenges before us until we treat health as a shared responsibility. That is why we have to build the great American community," Murthy said.

Among top Indian-Americans to attend the ceremony were Ravi Jahangirdar, president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), Ashok Kumar Mago, of the US-INDIA Chamber of Commerce and Dr Sampat Shivangi, national president of Indian American Forum for Political Education.

Congressman Ami Bera, the only Indian-American lawmaker in the current Congress, was also present at the ceremonial event.

Murthy was officially sworn in at a closed ceremony on December 18, 2014. He is the country's 19th Surgeon General.

Having travelled across the country for the past several months, Murthy made several announcements in his policy speech.

"We will combat misinformation with clear communication. Whether e-cigarettes or the latest diet fad, marijuana or the measles, we will give the American people the best information so they can make good decisions for their own health," he said.

"In a world in which a lie can spread around the planet at the speed of a keystroke, we will harness the power of new technologies so that the truth has a fighting chance. And if that means I get to team up with a furry little Muppet to tell parents to vaccinate their kids, then all the better!" he added.
         
"We will work to move from a culture of treatment to one of prevention. We lead the world in breakthroughs that create life-saving treatments. But while the mark of a great nation may be in how we care for our most vulnerable, the test of a strong nation is how good we are at keeping them from getting sick in the first place," Murthy said.

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