(Etiquette & Protocol)

By Dr.Dinesh, Dental Surgeon

Sitting in a waiting room is an experience in itself. You arrive on time for your appointment, that doesn’t mean you can get in at the dot into the doctors chamber, please reach at least 15 minutes prior to the appointment time as there is no excuse for traffic jam at Port Blair though this kind of lame excuse is given at mainland and you may have to wait for about 15 minutes to half an hour or more depending upon the rush, sometimes patient takes token and roam around in bazaar and come back, though the receptionist might have called the token number at the top of her voice and all the patients sitting there search for that patient but all in vain and finally that patient comes cool after a stroll at the nearby tea shop, and argue with receptionist, please don’t do that but your heart sinks when you see the crowd or there is only a patient but the procedure is time taking. With a resigned attitude you glance around and try to pass time. You are fuming because at this rate you don’t know when your turn will come, which makes you all the more anxious. Here are some suggestions that would help avoid stress caused by waiting.

For the people waiting, this is a public area and as such, all the normal expectations of behavior in company are expected, starting with keeping your voice down, your mobile phone ringing(though it may have a melodious tune) at high volume etc so  put them in vibrator  mode.

If the seating is limited, please ask the healthy folks accompanying to give up the seat to a fellow patient.

Please control your children from running around and chasing each other or picking up things from doctor’s clinic and placing it somewhere else. Nerves are already stretched thin!

When you have finished reading the magazines put them back from where they came. The next person will really appreciate it. The magazines are here for everyone to read so please refrain from grabbing the whole pile, and worse, don’t stick them into your bag or tear pages.

Don’t ask other people why they are here. By the same token, don’t go into gory details of your health problems unless, of course you have found a pair of very eager ears.

 

Last but not the least, this is not the place to smoke or spread out your eatables. A pinch of courtesy and dollop of consideration will work wonders.