Interview with Dr. Nagendra Reddy, Owner of Orkut Hospital a community on orkut.com

Once again orkut.com has proven the value of social networking when Dr Nagendra Reddy created a community Orkut Hospital an attempt in health education and information therapy to educate the people more about their condition in the right direction by using excellent resources available on internet.
Orkut’s Hall of Fame is very much thankful to Dr. Reddy for accepting our invitation and giving there valuable time to answering some of our questions related to there unique and really active community Orkut Hospital.

Orkut Hospital:- http://www.orkut.co.in/Community.aspx?cmm=14272759

Welcome Dr Nagendra Reddy!

Sure …Thanks for the invitation to this community. Indeed a great privilege to be in this community and in Orkut’s Hall of Fame. Orkut Hospital is an idea in health education and information therapy..Its aim is to promote research also great and classic sites present in the internet.

Dr. Reddy, How this idea of Orkut Hospital came in your mind? since when this community is active?

It came by an impulse on the night of May 27 2006 had not thought about it. Most of the medical communities were either focusing on doctors themselves. So I thought about creating an all inclusive community for both doctors and netizens .One where netizens could share their problems and doctors could offer solutions
It was formally established 2 years back on May 28 2006 at 12.15 AM IST.

Please tell us about your professional background, qualification, your location and family.

Am an MBBS doctor from Bangalore Medical College ,Bengaluru .Am preparing for PG entrance exams presently I am born and brought up in Bangalore and stay in one of the IT locales of Bangalore, Koramangala I am the youngest of three kids .My two sisters are married ,one is an engineer and other is a pharmacist .My dad is a retired engineer and my mom in a housewife.

There are many active communities on orkut related to medical etc. How Orkut Hospital is different from them? In which particular field or subject the most of the members are interested in discussing at Orkut Hospital?

There are many medical communities in orkut but none of them are so active as Orkut hospital .And maybe leaving Doctor’s advice online ,no other medical community offers and interaction between netizens and doctors ..Also we have created new innovative threads like Brain teasers, Image teasers, Image gallery and Video gallery for doctors in their spare time to learn.
A word about our moderators …Nowhere else you get so active moderators in medical communities .Our moderators are active 24 Hrs..They are from US, UK, Pakistan, China and India. They are so hard working .Hats off them to all. The discussion in Orkut hospital can involve a whole lot of topics and most of them are general topics..Initially when the community was anonymous there were a lot of questions on sex related issues.But now the focus is more on busting myths and maybe second opinions

How do you see the future of orkut hospital? Do you have any plans to develop it outside orkut?

Hmmm .Yes that’s a difficult question to answer. It involves a lot of factors and presently I can’t say anything about it .Yes, but I would like to see it developing outside Orkut.

Orkut Hospital is an orkut community, how much credit you give to orkut.com as a social networking site helped you in making something different, helpful and useful for others. Do you have any such community or activities on other social networking sites too? If no then why only you chose orkut?

Yes, I give a lot of credit to orkut. It has opened my eyes to a whole lot of new and exciting possibilities which are possible in this medical world. I don’t have a community on any other site as it requires a lot of energy So whatever be it, as i started here first ,I’m continuing here itself .Also Orkut has a simple and uncluttered concept, has a lot of Indians and moreover owned by Google ..a world class brand ..So want to be associated with it.

What is your favourite outdoor activity?

Favourite outdoor activity is Playing cricket.

And Favourite indoor activity other then sitting on net :p ?

Lol ..Watching TV, cricket, talent hunts and soaps .

Dr Nagendra what are your views on Indian doctors who prefer any other country then India for there practice? and what are your personal thoughts on education structure and reservation issues?

Hmmm..I think India would make it big in the health sector like how IT sector has made It is a global economy. India, I think has better respect for doctors from people but there is no money whereas in other places there is money but no respect

Education, especially the higher education needs to be improved. We need to be ahead in times like and we need to spend more on research and development..
Like by 2020 ,America is trying to introduce 1000$ genome .India has to aim for it and be in par Another area is we can improve all our journals and make something like Pubmed in India would be great. Reservation… no comments. I think each person is unique.

Recently few months back headlines were in every news channels and paper media about the kidney racket busted in India which came up with a bitter and ugly faces of some irresponsible doctors, how a common, middle class person will trust any doctors now? any comment on this?

That is one off incident that media highlights. There are millions of doctors who slog day in and day out working 36 to 48 hrs at a stretch for a pittance of money and who would be still satisfied with it whom media does not highlight. Medicine is one of the noblest profession, there may be a few black sheep like in every other field.

Lastly, who are the most of the members of Orkut Hospital? Doctors or common people? Please tell us about member’s contribution on Orkut Hospital.

Both are equally important if it has to progress. Member’s contribution -Moderators have contributed extensively to the community. And I would like to thank each of them.

Jolly Deb
Michelle Young
Bipin
Siddartha Sahu
Dr T
Mohsin Zia
Suvir SIngh
Faiss Abbasi
Anshul Varshney
Sonali Kantak
Preetam Deshpande
Ajay Sharma
Nicky
Vivek

And many more people whose names i may not remember. I would also like to thank the general public for being patient listeners and maintaining the decorum of community
I’m just a facilitator.The real people behind it are members.

I would also like the occasion to thank Zazo for interviewing me.

Thanks a lot for giving your precious time and sharing so much great information from Orkut Hospital. We wish you all the best Dr.
Thanks again.

UPDATE: Dr. A V Nagendra Reddy is no more with us. He died in a mysterious circumstances on April 19th 2010 at Chandigarh India. Police are still investigating  the case. Orkut Hospital Community is giving tribute to their lovely friend Dr. Nagendra, join Orkut Hospital Community

Media covered Dr. Nagendra’s story

The Times Of India – “Harrassment pushing medicos to extremes”

Indian Express - “PGI Resident doctor commits suicide, family suspects foul play”

Deccan Herald – “Family sees fould play in doctor’s death”

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