Callous doctors

The consumer society in Bangladesh is constantly being cheated and deprived of services due to lack of awareness and accountability. I would like to share my bitter experience of a malpractice in what I think is a violation of consumer rights. It was last Wednesday evening when I drove all the way to a hospital in Uttara to get medical care for my wife. I enquired if gynaecologists were available for consultation, paid the fee for “fast-track” service and walked my ailing wife up to the doctor's chamber hoping to get some kind of speedy service and proper care for my time and money's worth. As we approached the chamber a matron took the slip from our hands, motioned us towards an empty lounge saying, “the doctor is attending to other patients, I will call you as soon as she is done with them,” and vanished inside the doctor's room. We waited in good faith, counting the minutes as my wife shifted uncomfortably in her chair in pain. I walked up and down the lounge looking at new patients arrive, go in and come out through another chamber close by, but neither our doctor nor our matron ever materialized to deliver that “fast-track” service we paid for. When it seemed we had had enough of waiting I managed to draw the attention of the neighbouring doctor's matron and solicited her help. This brought our matron out of the room just to let us know that the doctor was still looking at patients and we had to wait further. There was something strange in her attitude which made my wife ask, “Is the doctor in her chamber at all?” To this the matron, surprisingly replied, “actually…no, she is in the ward now, but don't worry she will be right back.” I wanted to know when she would return, again came the matron's vague reply, “probably half an hour,” and looking at my face turning red in anger, quickly corrected herself, “no, maybe five to ten minutes, please wait.” I decided not to and ran downstairs and asked the guy behind the counter to cancel my slip and issue me a new one for the other doctor who was truly available. The man reluctantly looked at his computer screen and said, “Don't think I can do that, you have already made payment and the record has been saved in our system, it will be a big hassle if you want to change doctors now.” I asked how could we see the doctor when she was not in. It suddenly dawned on me that here I was talking to an accomplice because he wasn't supposed to issue me the slip in the first place. Sensing that he was close to getting into trouble, the guy hurriedly got hold of the missing doctor on telephone telling her that her patients were about to leave. An animated conversation followed and to my utter surprise I overheard that our doctor was actually not even in the premises but away in a totally different hospital!! As if this was not enough, the guy reported that the doctor wanted us to wait for “just” ten more minutes by which time she would be right back! I was appalled at the unscrupulous practice and lack of professionalism from someone in the ranks of a teacher in a medical university. What is even more appalling is that at a time when we have started to lose hope in our public hospitals, the private ones remain our last resort and if they follow suit, I guess our last vestige of hope would be gone and it would be no surprise if people rush to Bangkok, Bangalore or even Kolkata for treatment.