Aside from the expertise, people go to see a specialist privately for the convenience and comfort and expect to be treated kindly. Hours of waiting in a cramped waiting room full of sick people does very little for the morale, which is so necessary in fighting disease and promoting recovery and good health. On the contrary, this can sometimes make the patient feel worse and frustrated.

In my case, I become very stiff if I remain in any one position for more than an hour. I also know people who are a lot worse than I am and can only wonder at their fortitude.

I am 59 years old and suffer quite badly from my back due to several lesions caused by osteoarthritis of the spine.

This is an extremely painful condition, and as there is no cure, treatment is usually only palliative. Much of the time, I can cope with the condition by taking painkillers prescribed by my kindly family doctor and exercise. However, when there is a flare up of the inflammation, I usually consult a (specialist) doctor for additional medication, some of which are only available upon prescription of a medic.

Recently, I had one of these episodes. So, my wife rang up the surgery of a (highly recommended), specialist in Rose Hill. ?You can come along at 3.00 p.m. the next day?, were she told by the lady answering the phone. Thinking that this was a firm booking, we duly turned up on time the following day ? only to find another eight people waiting already. ?The doctor will arrive some time after four and consultation is on a ?first come, first serve? basis? was the reply to our enquiry.

So much for taking the trouble of phoning for an appointment, I thought ! Eventually, the doctor did come at 4.20 p.m. and I was seen at 6.00 p.m. after a wait of THREE hours.

I have no complaint about the professionalism of the doctor or the treatment he prescribed for me. But, I think making sick people wait for such a long time borders on the inhuman and shows a total lack of respect for the paying customer.

Apparently, this is not an uncommon practice among doctors, particularly those specialists working in the public sector. They usually finish work at 4.00 p.m. and start their private consultation some time after that. If you phone, you are sometimes given a time in guise of an appointment but, for all practical purposes, this is disregarded and you take your turn in the queue upon arrival. Others just tell you to come any time between 4.00 p.m. and the closing time, usually 6.00 p.m.

In a doctor/patient relationship, it is clearly the doctor who has the upper hand. It is probably the only relationship where the paying customer is powerless to do anything much. If necessary, the doctor can withdraw his services if he has a grievance. On the other hand, the patient has no such option ; he is obliged to consult the doctor, no matter what. By treating a patient with any degree of indiferrence, the doctor is deemed to be taking an unfair advantage of this uneven position. Yet, a little change of attitude is all that may be required to bring satisfaction to both parties. It is unconceivable that, in this age of cyberspace and easy mass communication, a way can?t be found to give patients a firm booking to see their doctors.

In the name of all those suffering of disease on our island, I make a humble plea to all our doctors to institute a realistic appointment system, where patients are seen reasonably close to a given time. This would demonstrate to everyone that, having chosen a caring profession, THEY REALLY DO CARE.

If I am writing to you, it is because I have every confidence that the MCM, being the governing body of medical practice in the country and therefore concerned with the welfare of patients, will do all in its power to ensure that the latter is given a fairer deal in the future.

R. BEEHARRY