Falling prey to those ‘flying doctors’

There are some who believe that people in this part of the world can be sold anything, even if it so far-fetched it possibly couldn't be but a good deal. And many have fallen victim to such shysters who ply their trade by flying in, snaring their potential victims with false promises, pocketing the money and then just as quickly flying out.

One disturbing variant of such practices is the ‘flying doctor.' You open a newspaper nowadays and see an ad heralding the arrival of some renowned physician or medical specialist coming to a local hospital or clinic for a short visit. Following their names are usually bunches of letters set to make any layman's credentials impressive. Back in the 60s, a popular western was airing weekly on TV titled Have gun, will travel. It depicted a cowboy who went wherever the buck was available to do all sorts of work good people shied away from. Right or wrong was of secondary matter to him. A mercenary of sorts. An analogy to some of the lucrative medical practices today would more like "Have scalpel, will travel."

This visiting specialist's qualifications are usually listed under the ad, and in most cases it is from some obscure medical institute in the West. You the reader are roused into a hypochondriac frenzy, encouraged to pick up the nearest phone, and make the earliest appointment. After all, this is the opportunity of a lifetime to discover ailments within you that previously never existed or had largely remained undiscovered until now.

I would not have paid more attention were it not for some recent close encounters that surfaced on this issue. Not long ago, a good friend was relating to me how he had made an appointment with a much-heralded visiting orthodontist for his 12-year-old daughter just before the last summer holidays. After paying exorbitant consultation fees; renowned consultants do demand renowned fees after all, he took his daughter to see this man of fame.

Subjected to various x-rays, and various dentistry tools forced into her mouth by an assistant, the girl was finally relieved when the examination was over. She then accompanied her father to an office where this famous quack sat solemnly perusing her test results and file.

Finally he looked up at the father and ventured that the girl's wisdom teeth needed pulling out. "Which ones?" my friend Ali wanted to know. "All four of them," replied the specialist. The girl looked up hesitantly at her dad, noticing a look of concern on his face. The specialist went into some medical jargon that left Ali feeling somewhat inadequate and insecure. "Not to worry," continued the orthodontist, as he called the nurse's aide and scheduled the girl for an appointment for three days later. On the appointed day, the girl had all four wisdom teeth removed and a bunch of stitches left in her mouth.

Summer of pain

A week later, she developed some complications due to infection. When Ali called to reschedule another appointment with the renowned orthodontist, the secretary told him that he had already left for his country, but the house dentist would be glad to see his girl. The total cost of this venture had left him $8,000 (Dh29,360) lighter in the pocket, and a daughter who suffered most of her summer holidays in agony.

Another friend, Esmail, was relating to me how he succumbed to one of these ads and took his wife in to see a visiting endocrinologist. She had been complaining of colitis, and after a battery of tests, the physician recommended an extreme surgical procedure to remove a section of her intestine. Besotted by the credentials of this European quack, she consented to going under the knife. With the operation completed, and the physician well on his way to his homeland with his wallet full and bulging, Esmail was perturbed to notice his wife had showed no visible sign of improvement. In fact she was still bed-ridden in the hospital with the riyal meter running! After further major complications, Esmail had no choice but to take her to a specialist hospital in Riyadh for corrective surgery. The procedures relieved Esmail of over $20,000.

These are but two of several incidences involving family and friends that I chose to bring. But I personally know of more such cases and not just confined to Saudi Arabia, but also in other countries of the Gulf. And as I write, more ads will appear with further promises of healers appearing here in short bursts from all parts of the globe, ever ready to relieve you of your wallet but rarely your ailment. The ministries of health in the various GCC countries should be at the vanguard of tackling this growing but fleeting menace. The lives of the countries' residents should not be at the mercy of such sham artists. 

Tariq A. Al Maeena is a Saudi socio-political commentator. He lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.