LifeInBitesAndBytes

Doctor Appointments: A Lesson in Punctuality or Not!

Public holiday or not, today was doctor’s appointment day. The appointment was at 7:00 a.m. sharp, yes, seven in the morning. Now, as a lecturer, I am no stranger to early mornings. If my lecture starts at 8:30 a.m., I am there at 8:25, ready to engage eager minds. Naturally, I expected the same level of punctuality from the medical profession.

So, there I was, with my two kids in tow, standing at the hospital entrance at 6:55 a.m., channeling all my positivity and patience. After all, getting out of the house early with kids is no small feat, right? But I was determined to be on time.

Fast forward to 8:30 a.m., yes, a full hour and a half after my scheduled appointment, and the doctor finally strolled in. Not a word of apology, not a hint of acknowledgment that she was late. Just a casual “I am here now, let us get this started.” No, “Sorry for the delay,” No “Thanks for waiting.” Nope. Nothing.

It was as if time had magically stopped for everyone but her. The waiting room was buzzing with restless patients, many of them parents like me, trying to keep their kids entertained as the minutes dragged on. (Side note: trying to keep kids entertained for 90 minutes in a sterile hospital waiting room? That should be classified as an Olympic sport.)

The real question I kept asking myself: Why is this acceptable? In almost every other profession, punctuality is a given. If an office opens at 8:00 a.m., employees are at their desks, ready to start the day. If a lecture begins at 8:30, I am there, in front of my students, right on time. So, why do doctors get a free pass on time management?

Now, I get it. Doctors are busy. Emergencies happen, and I am more than willing to wait if my doctor is saving lives or rushing from one hospital to another. But that was not the case here. This was not about an emergency. This was about time mismanagement. Some doctors seem to schedule their private practice appointments back-to-back in different locations, ensuring that they do not waste a minute of their precious time. But what about our time?

Because here is the reality: Patients have jobs. We have commitments. We have other places to be. And in my case, two restless kids wondering why mom made them wake up so early for, well… nothing. And what frustrates me the most? If a patient is even five minutes late, the doctor has likely moved on to the next appointment, no questions asked. But when they are late, by an hour and a half, no less, we are expected to smile and act like it is completely normal. Why?

It is not that I do not respect doctors. I do! But respect should go both ways. We all value our time, and leaving patients waiting for hours without so much as an apology just does not sit right with me. It is high time that punctuality was valued in all professions, not just the ones where the clock is seen as a ticking reminder of productivity.

So, dear doctors, I say this with love: Please value our time the way we value yours. Just like your work is important, so are the lives we live outside your waiting rooms.

But until that day comes, I suppose I will keep bringing a good book, some snacks, and maybe even a pillow to my appointments, just in case the doctor’s idea of “punctual” is an hour (or two) later than mine. And maybe, just maybe, we will get an apology. Or am I asking for too much?