The Queue Breaker

Dr. Dev’s (Fictional Name) friend came to consult him at his clinic. When the friend arrived there were already few patients waiting for their turn to consult Dr. Dev. When Dr. Dev learned that his friend was outside, he came to the door of his consultation chamber, and to the surprise of his friends, addressed the patients waiting for their turn with folded hands, 

‘My childhood friend has come to consult me. I am extremely sorry but If you all permit me I will like to see him first’ ‘otherwise’, he added humorously, ‘he will not let me enter his house the next time I go to visit him.’

As was expected the good-natured patients did not object and Dr. Dev saw his friend out of turn on priority. The surprised friend asked the reason for Dr. Dev’s strange behavior.

Dr. Dev asked his friend, ‘When you are waiting in a queue at the bank, a barber saloon, at the billing counter of a shop, etc., and someone just walks in and the owner or counter person obliges him and serves him first, how do you feel? You will naturally get very angry, may get in the altercation with the queue jumper and the staff, or may walk out with the resolve to never come again to that particular shop, saloon, or restaurant. The same way the patients waiting for their turn in my clinic get angry and resentful if I see someone out of turn.’

‘Due to some personal reason if I have to see one out of turn, then I have found it is better for everyone concerned that, I first tender apology to the waiting patients for making them wait longer, ask for their permission while giving some good reason and only then see someone. The day of autocratic behavior that it is my prerogative to who to see first is over.’

‘What if I had walked in directly without giving you time to come to the door and address the patients?’ asked his friend. Dr. Dev replied, ‘In such a situation, I come out after the consultation and give the explanation and apology.’

‘Is there any change if it is some VIP and not a friend like me?’ enquired his friend. Dr. Dev answered, ‘if it is some VIP my job becomes easy. I again tender an apology to the waiting patients but now I can add that because the person is a VIP, such as a high-ranking government officer or politician, I have to see him on priority otherwise he can retaliate or take action against me.’

‘If it is a police officer in uniform, the patients understand automatically my helplessness, but if the policeman is in mufti (civilian clothing), then I inform the patients that the Q jumper was a policeman and add humorously that if I had not seen him first he would have turned Dirty Harry or Singham on me.’

What about other doctors? queried his friend. ‘Do they also have some system in place to see special patients out of turn?’

‘Many doctors employ different tactics to tackle this problem’, disclosed Dr. Dev. ‘Some keep dummy entries spaced apart in their appointment book so that if someone has to be accommodated out of turn, they can be shown by the doctor or staff to have already taken appointment for that particular time beforehand.’

‘Some doctors have a separate passage and side door from which their staff brings in the VIP patient, after informing the patients waiting outside that the doctor is taking a short break. Since the waiting patients do not see the VIP entering and consulting the doctor out of turn, ignorance is bliss for them.’

‘Another opposite problem is if the VIP becomes angry if they have to wait for the doctor. For this, some doctors have kept a separate VIP waiting area, well air-conditioned, with a plush sofa in which no one will mind sitting for hours, a TV and some magazines and newspapers to pass the time, and courteous staff in attendance with water on entry and offer of tea /coffee and snacks while waiting.’ divulged Dr. Dev.

So whether you are a doctor or a businessman, be mindful of your patients, clients, customers, or patrons' feelings and try to reduce or mitigate the hurt and resentment while accommodating your friends or VIPS out of turn by using some of the tactics mentioned here.

— ND

(Based on allegedly true incidents.)

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DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purposes. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use the information herein is at your one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal, and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Practice should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost. 

DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purposes. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use the information herein is at your one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal, and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Education should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost and according to MCI and other Board norms.