On the GP Hunt (1)

Rejection is bliss. That’s all I can say.

Being in Primary Care Medicine posting, we have been allocated a week to have an attachment with any private general practitioner outside the hospital, just to expose us the different settings of general practice care in the private practice and in the government hospital.

Last week was my turn. I decided against going back to my hometown because it was too late to get a ticket and it would cost a bomb if I fly back. Therefore, a friend and I decided to hunt around the area for a clinic. I called up Klinic XXXXXX in one of the malls in KL. The in-house lady doctor said she’d call me back later, which meant a grim outcome. So I didn’t quite bother about the clinic.

The following day, we took a bus from the hospital to KL Central. It was a weekday afternoon then, and we just finished our class with the dietician. There were 5 clinics along the road in front of the monorail station, 2 of the clinics were closed already, while the other 3 refused to accept any students attachment. We headed over to Bangsar, and went into all the 5 clinics along Jalan Bangsar as well. So out of the 5, we were also rejected from 4 of the clinics and we obtained the phone number of the doctor from the last one.

That same evening I went over to the Klinic XXXXXX and showed the official letter that the faculty issued. The nurse said that I should go back the following day in the evening when the boss is in so that I could talk to him directly when I could’ve talked to the one which was already there, who I would be attached to if I were to come in the day time. But no, I had to go back the following day because that lady refused to let me talk to the doctor. Fine. I said I’d go back the next day.

So the next day I went back to the clinic with the official letter that the faculty issued. That front desk assistant (which by then I doubt would even have a diploma in nursing), asked me to wait for a while as the doctor was busy. So okay, I thought he was really busy. He took 30 minutes to consult a young married couple who came out later followed by another Indian family which took another 30 minutes. And finally after that second 30 minutes, the lady came out with my letter in her hand.

“The doctor is busy. He doesn’t want to see you. Maybe you can come back again tomorrow morning and talk to Dr. XXX.”

I stormed out of the clinic shouting “FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU!”

Just kidding.

But I was THAT angry that evening. I was all hopeful thinking that since some of the doctors in that clinic are graduated from the same university, and Dr. XXX would probably be a few years my senior, I would have no problem getting an attachment there. But NO, that bloody front desk lady HAD to ask me to go to the clinic repeatedly.

I mean, what is so hard about saying “NO” right? If the boss said NO, then just tell me NO in the face. Stupid lady HAD to ask me to go back again the following day and talk to the other doctor which I’ve already requested earlier as she’d be the in-house doctor, which would be the most appropriate doctor to get attached to since I would be going in the day. But again, stupid front desk lady has no brain to think logically.

And to top it all, they’ve got serious attitude problem. To have 4 patients in a night, and you call that busy? WTF man?! The primary care clinics in the hospital sees like easily 20 patients in one morning and none of the doctors complained they’re busy. Yet the fucking front desk lady had the GUTS to say they’re busy. Moron. That’ll probably mean one thing, they’ve got less than 5 patients every day, so when there’s more, the front desk lady would be too busy to even get things sorted out. Poor thing.

I was fuming so to speak. Pardon my anger.

But I was really angry you see. One of the panel clinics in Bangsar that we went to, the doctor took the time to see us after all the other patients. Although we had to wait for a long time, but at least we got to see the doctor and tell him why we were there and for him to tell us why he couldn’t take us for attachment (He had students attachments 2 weeks earlier and 2 weeks to come, so he needed some time off to catch up on his things as he was just back from a conference.) But at least, we knew why he couldn’t accept us. So even though we were disappointed, we weren’t angry.

And most of the other clinics that rejected us, they told us a clear cut “NO”. Or that they do not accept student attachment. Like, No. Monosyllable. Simple monosyllable word. Basically just a monophonic sound if it’s too hard to pronounce.

But Klinik XXXXX just didn’t know how to say NO.

I seriously am disappointed.

And I pity that front desk lady.

I’m sorry. I had to vent my anger somewhere.