Waiting in long queues with all heart and patience
OPD counters open at 8 am, but at least 100 attendants/patients reach here as early as 5 am. Those who come later are greeted by a ‘queue of bags’.
LUCKNOW: Patients waiting to consult a cardiologist at the KGMU’s Lari Cardiology need a lot of patience – that too early in the morning.
Though OPD counters here open at 8 am and doctors come even later, at least 100 attendants/patients queue up as early as 5 am. And those who reach after that are greeted by a ‘queue of bags’.
Majority of these people are from outside Lucknow. They hardly speak to each other in the first hour. But gradually, the common intention to see a cardiologist paves way for discussion – the commonest being how difficult it is to get consultation by a good doctor.
The long wait is fatiguing, hence many are seen sitting on their bags while others sleep nearby. “I make it a point to get here early morning, so that I get the chance to see a doctor within 12 pm. This allows us to return home by evening, after getting the tests done,” said Radhey Shyam, a heart patient who came to Lari Cardiology from Hardoi at 5 am. It was his sixth turn to see a doctor.
Similarly, Mohd Islam from Allahabad reached the OPD counter at 4.30 am and it was the third time he came so early while Anil Kumar from Shahbad said he came with his father and reached here at 4 am. Local patients start queuing up after 8 am, and by then, at least 100 outstation patients are already in queue.
“I have been coming here every two months with some or the other relative. One is sure to see a doctor, if one reaches here well in advance,” said Rakesh Kumar, a native of Hardoi.
Despite over 100 patients and their attendants waiting in queue, there is hardly any friction among them. Some people sit on their bags and a few take a nap on the benches and pavements. The ‘queue of bags’ ensures that their number is not lost. When the counter opens those sleeping elsewhere come and take position with their bags.
More than the staff the patients and attendants keep discipline here. As the OPD counters start tickets are distributed and then another round of waiting begins inside the hall where doctors sit. The average daily OPD goes beyond 400 patients.