Dato' Dr Venugopal Balchand is a Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon attached to Pantai Hospital KL, Assunta Hospital Petaling Jaya and the Sri Kota Medical Centre Klang. He obtained his MBBS degree from the Madras Medical College, India. He also holds a Masters of Medicine from Singapore and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh. He worked as a Consultant at the National Heart Centre, IJN, for fifteen years before moving into the private sector. He holds academic positions at the University of Cyberjaya and Taylors University. He is the immediate past President ofthe Medico Legal Society of Malaysia. He chairs a task Force in the National Coalition for Mental Well being. He is a member of the Disciplinary Committee of the Malaysian Medical Council. He contributes regular articles on various subjects to the Free Malaysia Today News Portal.