I visited one of the two big hospitals built adjacent to each other in Karachi. I had a sore throat and cough problem, so I decided to visit an ENT specialist.

There were more patients than available seats in the waiting area. As a consequence, almost half of the patients had to stand or sit in the corridor. Many faced difficulty in tracking their allotted number and had to inquire about their turn from the reception repeatedly.

There were junior doctors for taking medical history and a principal doctor for the final checkup. Patients kept waiting for the principal doctor, after juniors took their history, perhaps owing to the late arrival of the doctor or because of his slow performance.

When I finally entered the chamber on my turn, there were four young doctors — two male and female — for taking the patient’s history. I was told to wait because a patient was there and the woman doctor was checking his ear. Soon I realised, he was not a patient but a fellow doctor and they were just having a chat.

As I started telling about my problem, both junior doctors kept smiling and arguing with each other in a lighter vein. Another doctor was continuously using her cellphone while taking history of patients. Soon she shouted to the helper that she did not want further patients as she was fasting.

I request the authorities concerned to look into such unethical practices among private medical practitioners.

Muhammad Sufyan Khan

Karachi

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2016