Dr. Venugopal himself is quite an arrogant person. He has been disrespectful towards his peers. A number of senior doctors at AIIMS, such as the head of their nephrology department left AIIMS for private hospitals because of the high handed and dictatorial attitude of Dr. Venugopal. But I'll not take anything away from him. He is indeed a great surgeon, one of the best in the world. He performed India's first heart transplant since brain death was legalised. He is quite a down to earth person who disdains publicity. Along with Dr. K M Cherian at Frontier Lifeline, Chennai, Dr. Venugopal kind of symbolizes India's cardiac surgery practice. In comparison, many others are mere plumbers. He practically lived his entire life for AIIMS. No matter how arrogant or high headed he was, he didn't deserve this treatment from the government.
