You know what? I am going to make some people angry because they took my money, made me suffer and left me angry. I am not going to go into the details, for several reasons — one of them being the final settlement between myself and a certain medical provider which botched things up.
However, I feel like sharing with you some tips on how to avoid going to the wrong medical practitioner. Firstly, word of mouth is king — whether it is coming from a friend, a work colleague or gym buddy or neighbour.
Apart from its sincerity, it is better and more accurate than all those glossy brochures and colourful banners designed to entice you. In my opinion, word of mouth is better as it conveys the experiences of those you know and trust.
Secondly, don’t be swept off your feet by what these medical practitioners tell you during the course of treatment. I have a few good examples which left a bitter taste in my mouth. The first involves an ‘expert’ who, apart from asking for payment each time I visited, repeatedly said the equipment and processes they employed were the best in Dubai and even went as far as to claim “you can go and eat nuts all your life.”
But when things went wrong, I was told, “We will keep trying until we get it right.”
What cheek! I was tempted to ask whether their ‘stuff’ which they so highly praised had been approved by health authorities in Dubai in the first place. It has been close to a year since and I am yet to enjoy popcorn, let alone nuts!
I decided to seek a second opinion, which brings me to the second example. This time around, the ‘expert’ took the time to shower himself with praise during the costly consultation, going as far as to suggest I google his name on the internet. I thought to myself: “Really? How about I also call myself ‘Miss Universe’ on the internet?”
As he continued talking, many alarm bells kept going off and up to today, I wonder why I didn’t just get up and leave his office.
In my humble view, it is better for patients to take care of the praise part as their words carry more weight.
The irony could not be missed when I asked about the procedure’s chances of success, which sounded more like combining Lego toys than a dental procedure. His unsettling response was “Nothing is confirmed, but we would have followed what is in the books.”
Excuse me? What books? We are humans! To add salt to the injury, he expected me to sign a disclaimer absolving him of any blame should the procedure fail.
Yet another doctor I consulted put it across succinctly, saying “Why should I fix somebody’s work and let them get away with their mistakes?”
During the agony of consulting a total of eight dentists in Dubai, a friend of mine recommended her “general dentist”. I promptly accepted. Her dentist offered some options and some names, and gave a “conservative” solution with less surgical procedures. That sounded more reasonable and less Lego-like.
I still remember how respected that practitioner was, especially when he did not utter one single bad word about the “expert”. He even did not charge any money, though I took nearly an hour of his time, because I had already seen another colleague in the same medical centre. That is what I call good ethics. Needless to say, I opted for the practitioner with high medical morals.
As my drama is not over yet, I still face some difficulties understanding the process of licensing some medical practitioners. I understand every place has its rules and regulations which should be respected. But even if not every profession or career is recognised and accredited, why do health authorities not keep track of complaints — even if they happened to have been settled “peacefully and silently”?
May be I kept nagging enough to fight for my rights. What about those who cannot? Who will defend them?
I thought of urging health authorities to come up with a website where people can give their feedback on their experiences. But a friend warned this might lead to some practitioners cry “slander and defamation”. The idea was dropped.
Yet, there must be a way to keep some “experts” away from the lives of working people who use their much-needed savings to be treated! Will keep thinking!
