An ENT Hospital

I am not against modern medicare. To be honest, I am not at all eligible to express an opinion on that. No doubt, thanks to modern medicine, diagnosis and treatment of many diseases have drastically improved ensuring less discomfort and faster recovery for patients.

The real problem lies in how it is being interpreted, practiced and may I say manipulated. A few personal experiences have forced me to think in these lines. This is the first of a few posts, I intend to upload on this issue. These posts will be detailed briefings about my personal experiences. I look forward to know the feedback of the netizens.

One of my friends had just returned from Mumbai, and since then complained of an unsual sensation in his ears, besides sneezing. Hence, we went to meet our regular ENT specialist  in Coimbatore. Just a few minutes before we could make it, he had left. He will be back only in the afternoon after 4.30 PM. The time was just 12.00 Noon. So, we went to a popular ENT hospital, nearby.

The lady at the Reception, looked through our eyes without batting an eyelid and asked seriously,

“You have  an appointment?”

“No”  

“We don’t see without appointment. Where are you coming from?”

“Chinniampalayam.  Please help us”

“You should have fixed up an appointment and come”

“Mam, we are not aware of the system here. You have to help us”

“As you have come from  a distant place, I will try to do something. Be seated”

We sat awaiting the call. The Receptionist summoned us, 10 minutes later, got the name and address filled up in the Registration form and said, this time with a magnanimous smile,

“We strictly don’t see patients without appointment. You folks are really lucky. As a special case, you are let in”

“All because of your efforts, Mam”

A hefty sum changed hands, after which we were escorted to a nearby room by a Nurse. Already 5 persons were waiting and we joined the queue. Having waited for 1 hour and those 5 persons to go, we went inside the chambers of the Doctor, who checked up the ears and nostrils with a torch light, with keen interest again and again and wrote something on our file. Thereafter he asked us to meet another Doctor.   After another hour of waiting, we could see the second Doctor. He too promptly repeated all the checks and informed that the nostrils of my friend are smaller, blocking the free outflow of phlegm, thereby forcing it to go to ears.

A few nice words later, we were taken to see the third Doctor. Fortunately he didn’t repeat what his predecessors had done. Instead he brought a flexible rod like thing with a camera, attached at the end and gently inserted into the ear of my friend. Images of the organs inside the ear were displayed on the computer screen. This Doctor started explaining about the ears and nose, using the images on the screen, though we didn’t request for that. He kept going on and on. We were about to remind him that we are not students, but patients. He ended his discourse on time, just a little earlier than our breaking point saying that a nasal surgery has to be performed for increasing the size of nostrils. We couldn’t grasp what he said. The time is already 3.00 PM.

Next, it was the turn of the chiefest Doctor. We could meet him at 3.45 PM. He was incredibly caring and left no stones unturned to ensure that the patients completely felt at home. After browsing through the file, he also confirmed that nasal surgery, costing around Rs.40000 then (8 years ago) has to be done, wherein the hollow bones of the nostrils – I don’t remember the exact medical name of it- will be operated upon, so that the holes of the nostrils get bigger, facilitating the free outflow of  phlegm. Without wasting time and waiting for our consent, he checked up with his assistant on the possible date of surgery. Pat came the reply that there are no dates for the next 6 months.

The chiefest Doctor curtly reminded his subordinate that his patient can’t be made to suffer for 6 months and kind of ordered that somehow or other, the surgery must be done immediately. We couldn’t understand the reason for his extreme interest in us. But one thing was clear – either he must be an extremely good and honest Doctor or the exactly opposite. He couldn’t fit anywhere in between.

The assistant kept contracting his facial muscles a number of times and then hesitatingly said there is a vacant slot 2 days later, for which there are already many vying with each other. In a jiffy, the chief gave his judgement, “that date is for this gentleman”

 We broke our silence.

“Can you please give us some quantified data on how smaller the nostrils are and the  barest minimum required size?”

“What?”

“There must be a bench mark for the correct size of the nostrils, which must be expressed in terms of some sort of statistical figures. Lest it can’t be Science. Please tell us how much the minimum required size is, what is the actual size of the nostrils as of now and how much is the deficit”

Now the chief doctor entrusted the task of explaining to his junior Doctor. Despite of repeated quizzings, we couldn’t get any direct reply to our queries from him.  Before it became an argument, we left without giving any commitment, regarding the surgery.

As we were moving out, my friend was obviously quite disturbed. I wondered, how these nostrils, which had done a wonderful job for 40 years can become undersize all of a sudden.

The time was 4.30 PM. Our regular ENT Doctor, we couldn’t meet in the morning,  must be back in his clinic. We had some refreshments and went there. We informed the Doctor that we had gone to that famous hospital, and we were not allowed to talk further. He started off asking,

“Did the receptionist tell you that only patients with appointments will be seen?”

“Yes Sir”

“Did she relent a while later? 

“Yes Sir”

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“ Did they tell you that there are no dates for the next 6 months?

“Yes Sir”

He prescribed some pills and in a week’s time, my friend was alright.  Vulnerable people pay a fat price and get their health harmed at such hospitals.