36 years of dedicated service
DR KOTAIAH Katragadda’s passion for the profession and dedication to service have made him one of the most beloved physicians to have served the Linstead Public Hospital in St Catherine.
The Indian native, affectionately called ‘Dr K’ or ‘KK’, has given over 36 years of service to the medical facility, with 30 years as senior medical officer (SMO).
He recalls that when he came to Jamaica in 1981, his intention was to eventually migrate to the United States of America (US). However, after speaking with his mentor, Olympian Dr Arthur Wint, he decided to stay in Jamaica.
Dr Wint, who was the hospital’s SMO at the time, took the young physician under his wings.
“When I passed my exams [to go to the US] and told him that I was going to leave, he said to me, ‘Anybody will work for the United States because they are rich, but what about the patients who love you so much?’” Kotaiah says.
He continued, “In a very short time, I’ve heard so much about how people depended on me and [he] pointed out that I would not get that kind of response from people in the United States. I was compelled to rethink my position.”
Dr Katragadda says that the hospital has seen a number of changes over the years. “When I came here, it was a 135-bed facility with a fully functional operating theatre, and Dr Wint was the surgeon. We never did big surgeries, but rather, emergencies,” he notes.
Dr Katragadda’s passion for the profession was evident, and over the years, he devoted himself to serving the residents of St Catherine and communities in neighbouring parishes such as Douglas Castle, Kellits and Crofts Hill in Clarendon and Moneague and Blackstonege in St Ann.
Dr Katragadda says that he had the option of being transferred to another facility but decided to stay at Linstead Hospital.
In 1987, Dr Katragadda became SMO when Dr Wint retired. He says that throughout his career, he always looked up to senior SMOs Dr Trevor McCartney and Dr Patrick Bhoorasingh, who he says were always very accessible and amenable to granting assistance. He admired their professionalism and aspired to be like them.
Dr Katragadda retired in August 2017, having given 36 years and four months to the institution.