Patients don’t get enough respect

RE: Advice to a young doctor from a customer (May 17)

Doctors’ offices, like airlines, double-book appointments, in case someone doesn’t show up and God forbid, the doctor is left with time on his or her hands. So two or even three patients might have the same appointment time, hence the constant crowded waiting room.

I once had the first appointment of the morning but was kept waiting for 20 minutes. When I asked how I could be kept waiting when I was the first patient, the reply was, “The doctor had to make some phone calls.” My suggestion that the time of the first appointment should reflect this need was met with wonderment. It’s just a reflection of the mindset that the doctor is God and the patient a lowly mortal. Hence the old joke: What’s the difference between God and a doctor? God doesn’t think he’s a doctor! Sandra Hanmer, Hamilton