It is December and winter is upon us. I cannot believe I looked forward to this during the 120 degree days of summer. But here it is. And along with it, as they say in Delhi, "meri to bolti band ho gaye" - roughly translated it means I've lost my voice. Acute uppper respiratory stress. I can neither laugh nor speak without coughing.
This happened to me 2 years ago - what seemed like a benign cough in Nov that did not leave until Feb. Lots of people go around Delhi assuming this is how it is to be. A cold is a natural part of winter. Silly me - I like to laugh, i like to talk and I think I'm entitled to a healthy respiratory system.
So I went along with the usual cockail of meds in my medicine chest - Tylenol, Nyquil, Motrin, Benadryl.......... and when 2 days later things seeemed worse rather than better, I called my cousin Bana to ask her what I should do. Go to the impressive Privat Hospital next door ?
She and Amit were unanimous - go see the ENT Specialist that they consult. They have tried a number of different ENTs over the years, and they have found this one to be the best.
So yesterday morning I went to see the ENT. Bana came along cos she was convinced I would not find the place. After seeing the place, I wonder if it was because she thought that left to myself I would not enter the building / clinic. It certainly was not the kind of place suited to my NRI sensibilities.
Dr. Gera runs his practice in a crowded building on the main street running through Sadr Bazaar the old part of Gurgaon. This is the place that until 5 years ago, was the heart of Gurgaon - a hub for the local villagers to come in for supplies and essentials.
A set of rickety steps leads to his clinic. The waiting room was about 12 feet long by 8 feet. It had 3 rows of benches running the length of the hall, with a reception table in one corner. There were 2 guys huddled over the reception desk.
The waiting hall was jam packed. Bana said not to worry - she would poke her head in first chance she got. The people waiting their turn ranged from laborers to tribal people. The domestic staff at Beverly Park or in DLF Phase 2 for that matter are all more sophisticated than the people in that hallway. Traffic in and out of the doctor's cubicle was fast - the line of some 10 people vanished right in front of us and before Bana had a chance to poke her head in we were being ushered in.
The office itself was about 8 feet wide and no more than 4 feet deep. The doc sat facing a computer and his testing equipment in the corner. The desk with 2 waiting chairs remaining largely unused. He asked me to sit on his examination stool. The exam was finished in 1 minute. He spent the remaining 9 minutes catching up with Bana, telling us about the comparitive merits of the Paras Hospital vs the brand new Alchemist. . About how Paras made a consulting physician waste their time because they opened their OT so late... how is a doctor to make any money if he cannot get to his dispensary on time ? Interspersed with that were questions about my medical history and explanations of my symptoms.
Several times the "compounder" poked his head in, each time with a more agitated look on his face. We finally took our leave.
They would not take my INR 300 professional courtesy - what with Bana being a doctor and all.
I had noticed all the other patients being charged between 200 and 600. At an average of 1 patient every 5 minutes (and there was certainly the traffic to sustain that) and office hours some 5 hours a day, 6 days a week - that would come out to some 72,000 INR a month a little shy of US$2000 . Maybe my math is wrong ? Maybe he has another source of income ?
While we were inside, the line had grown to standing room only, so I am sure the guys at the reception desk were happy to see us leave.
The pharmacy was adjacent to the doctor's office. They had everything but the cough syrup... and surprisingly, there was another pharmacy 2 doors down that had it.
So in one stop and in under 30 mins I had consulted with a specialist got all my meds and was on my way back home. Amazing - sometimes I've waited that long in the GP's examination room, in Poughkeepsie, waiting for the doctor to show up.
And once again I am amazed by the efficiency of resource utilization and private enterprise in India.
And yes, the meds he recommeded are working - I am on the mend. By the end of the week I may even have my bolti back.
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