Dear Editor,

I have often heard of the plight of the less fortunate among us who bemoan the long wait at public hospitals to see a doctor. However, it has now become the new normal for similar wait times at private doctors' offices.

My recent experience with two specialists/consultants has compelled me to call out this unprofessional practice which has become all too prevalent.

Visit any private doctor's office and you will see scores of patients sitting for long periods, albeit in air-conditioning and on softer chairs than the hard benches at the public hospitals. One has to wonder if some of these doctors have also joined in on the Jamaican hustle.

I have a few questions for hustlers in this noble profession who engage in this practice:

1) Is the idea behind giving the exact appointment (time) to two or three patients a way to maximise returns or add a level of guarantee in case one patient doesn't turn up?

2) What's the rationale for booking appointments half an hour to one hour prior to the doctor's end of shift at another facility?

3) Is it ethical to conduct examinations at the speed of robot taxis, and then schedule follow-up visits to do what should have been done in the initial consultation?

We chastise the robot taxi drivers when they pack the taxis beyond the legal limit, speed on the road to guarantee an extra trip, and call them hustlers. What's the difference here?

On a matter of principle, I refuse to accept this unprofessional behaviour. We deserve to be treated with respect. Punctuality and integrity are hallmarks of professionalism.

MFW

m_fitzwill@hotmail.com