Each time I have had to wait in the waiting room/area with my mum, my husband and on my own to see a medical specialist or general practitioner, the one pressing, perplexing thought/question is – there must be a better way or system to treat patients. People in need of medical attention – urgent or not.

Like I had written in my previous post, despite making an appointment, I/we are expected to wait, for hours for a consultation with a doctor, which on most occasions, lasts a few minutes. I have always been flabbergasted by this expectation that the patient – old or young, very sick or just sick – but all needing some form of medical advice, treatment and medication – must wait for the privilege. And, wait I/we, do.

I am sure doctors don’t sit in their offices twiddling their thumbs, Googling or playing computer games. No time for all of that. They are a busy lot. They see/examine patients every day. They order laboratory tests, imaging, fill forms, do referrals, make rounds at hospitals, and speak to patients at their clinic/hospital as well as to those who call them on the telephone. Depending on the nature/severity of the illness, doctors also spend a fair amount of time explaining and/or consoling patients.

I don’t know how often patient tardiness causes delays to doctors’ daily schedules. I don’t know how much control or say doctors’ have on patient scheduling. I don’t know how often doctors are called away to perform surgeries or attend to emergencies. Do surgeries and emergencies happen every day? Probably.

What I do know is some patients, may/do ask many questions, and delay subsequent patients. My first appointment with a palliative doctor for my mum was a long drawn experience. When I enquired about my ‘appointed time’ with the counter nurse, I was told I was next after the patients who were already with the doctor. I remember seeing an elderly couple enter the doctor’s room. Honestly, I thought they might have exited via a back door or something had happened to them. I kid you not. They were in the room for no less than 45 minutes. So… yes there are patients who hog the doctor’s time. Maybe the couple needed longer to understand their medical situation and/or the doctor was a kind soul, who wasn’t dictated by the clock.

I was with the same doctor for less than 15 minutes. That afternoon, two palliative doctors visited my mum for the very first time. The team from Beacon Hospital was super good, and continue to be of great help to my mum and me. So… yes kudos where kudos is due. Thankfully, there is no more protracted wait time as it is home visits now.

Back to my waiting whine. For sure, doctors are busy people. Like, all of us. With work, deadlines, commitments, families, and responsibilities. My time is as important and precious as a medical practitioner’s time even if I am not saving lives and prescribing critical medicines. When I make an appointment, I want to be seen at the appointed time or at worst, 15 to 30 minutes later. Why this can’t be achieved beguiles me. It is a business, after all. General practitioners, cardiologists, dentists and psychiatrists. They run their own business or work for a business – in the shape and form of clinics and hospitals. I am a customer/patient. I am paying for a service. I ask myself would I tolerate this slack with anyone or anywhere else?

There are many e-appointment booking apps in the market such as QueueMed, GetDoc and BookDoc. QueueMed, for instance, provides multichannel appointment bookings, mobile queue solutions and e-payment solutions to clinics and hospitals. The aim is to minimise administrative workload, optimise patients’ waiting time, and improve access to healthcare.

‘Patients can book their appointments online anywhere they are. Receive an online queue ticket and automatic reminders. Check the queue progress in real-time through their mobile device. This means patients can plan their journey accordingly, and will not have to waste time being stuck in a long queue[1]… in the waiting rooms of clinics and hospitals.

Many clinics and hospitals already have online appointment systems/apps. Telephone bookings is another alternative. I cannot be sure but the only walk-ins would probably be emergencies. The point is the e-appointment systems/apps are in place to help clinics and hospitals schedule patient appointments more efficiently. Presumably, based on the doctors/specialists’ available working hours, and specialities. To avoid overbookings or under bookings, and ensure no or minimal patient waiting time. Yes?

Actual scenario. The waiting area is overflowing with patients. Doctor/specialist is running late. Appointment time/date was agreed upon. Nurses/staff make no effort to explain or communicate the reasons for delays. A rehearsed apology or a hestitant excuse may follow after a complaint.

Unfortunately, the waiting continues. Why?