Waiting for doctor appointment

 Written by: Naqeeb Ahmad Azizi

Every patient wants to make an appointment for a qualified doctor but such a doctor has more patients. The doctor might visit emergency patients immediately but some ordinary patients also do not take their turn and want the doctor to visit them first. Sometimes this issue causes problems for other patients and the doctors too.

AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to some people about this issue.

Assadullah, a resident of Paktia province says, “Once I had taken an appointment for a doctor. I took my patient to the clinic in the evening but another patient took my turn. It was getting dark and our home was far from the clinic, it was very hard for us to go back home.”

Dewa, a resident of Laghman province says, “I was sick and my mother took me to a doctor. It was my turn but another patient entered the doctor’s room and when I asked the reason, the mentioned patient replied  that it’s none of my business.”

What do people think about the causes of this issue?

Zahidullah says, “Some people do not care about other patients and pretend that they have come from a faraway area and thus they do not take their turn.”

Marzia says, “Some tricky attendants deceive others and take their turn and they refer to the doctor before others.”

How people solve this problem?

Dentist Basir Shahab, the director of the stomatology hospital in Kabul city and the owner of a private clinic says, “Appointment for the doctor differs from other appointments. I have told to my waiter that he should not allow any patient without his/her turn to my visit room. Most of the waiters have taken part in special workshops and we have explained to them the importance of appointment. We ask our patients about the behavior of our waiter with them. We have divided our patients into 3 categories and the waiters should allow emergency patients first.”

Shahpour, a resident of Saripul province says, “Once I had an appointment with a doctor. An attendant wanted to visit the doctor first but I prevented and asked him why he did not want to wait for his turn. He replied that the doctor is his friend. I told that he should visit the doctor according to his turn.”