To see most doctors at AKUH, one has to get an appointment at least three to six weeks in advance.
KARACHI: To see most doctors at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), one has to get an appointment at least three to six weeks in advance. Even following that, the patient has to wait at least a couple of hours after getting to the hospital in time for the appointment. The hospital administration and the doctors seem to give the least consideration to their patients’ time and use the appointments as a mere forecasting tool to estimate how many patients they should expect on a certain day.
I have been to the AKUH four times in the past year and even though I had an appointment each time, I had to wait for as long as two hours to see the doctor. At one point, when I expressed my disgust to the doctor, the gentleman simply asked me to go consult someone else. This is the state of professionalism and ethics at one of the premier institutions of medicine in our country and, more alarmingly, of a representative of a profession which is all about caring for people. I hope the authorities concerned take notice of this state of affairs.
Asad V Shairani
Published In The Express Tribune, June 26th, 2012.
