Tired by the day’s
work, I parked my car on a rainy night, I got a text saying, “I’ve been trying
to call you since a long time, call me, its URGENT”. While I heard 5 missed
calls (back to back), I don’t pick up the calls while I drive. It was some time
past midnight and I thought it would be a medical emergency. I called back and
the person on the other end asks, “Doctor, are you available on 28th
November at 7 pm in xyz clinic?”
I
think all of us have our share of such calls when people call you back to back
for a reason best understood by them. It seems as if they have your number on
speed-dial and keep hitting redial till you answer back!
Communication
has brought the world closer, I can talk to my friend in US or South Africa as
if they were right here in pune or something. But it comes at a price of
privacy. Whatsapp, sms, wechat , email have made communication easy but nobody
cares about the unwritten rules that come along with it. No matter how close a
friend is you always have your “own time” or “family time”, where you can
politely decline to talk. I remember calling up a BMC office employee in the lunch
break and though he did not pick my call, but he fired me afterwards for
disturbing him during lunch. People are always scared of govt employees, bank
employees and give them and “their time” utmost respect. We all the know the
reasons, getting a work done from a govt babu is like getting a wish granted
from The Almighty!
But
when it comes to doctors, the rules change. As doctor I always thought it was
polite and helpful to give your cell number to patients, so that they contact you
in case of an emergency. Well, the definition of “emergency” is different for
all of us, but we should understand the definition of “time”. A doctor is also
a human being, he could be busy with an emergency case, might be operating on
someone, might be driving, sleeping or just maybe in the bathroom when he/she doesn’t
pick your call.
People nowadays
feel its their “right” to get a doctor’s cell number and the one who doesn’t give
is rude and arrogant!! It may not be always true. People don’t respect other
persons time when they need an info from them. I feel this is the case with every
professional but more so with doctors because everything associated with health
is always “an emergency”. I say it’s a myth.
What I told that gentleman who kept hitting
speed-dial-redial was that, I am not sure at this time and he can call me
tomorrow in the morning to check again. What I also told him POLITELY that this
is the most inappropriate time to call for such a thing. Well, then came a
flurry of words (of anger and feeling of betrayal) and last I could hear was,
FINE! That guy never called up in the morning, or the morning day after. I think
he got offended.I may have been deleted from his speed dial list. Did I do the right thing?
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