"Visiting the Chest and Respiratory Clinic"

My mother had an appointment at the clinic this week, which I attended with her. It was plainly an extremely busy day and many of the patients had very serious conditions. My mother has bronchiecstasis.

We were met by a cheerful receptionist who directed us to a lively x-ray department where the overalls were fresh, large and in no way resembled the embarrassing rags often provided for the use of x-ray patients!

On return to the clinic, we waited for about an hour to see Dr. Kamath. The clinic was very full and it was easy to see why we had to wait. When eventually called, we were very surprised that the appointment was not with Dr. Kamath, but instead Jutinder Juss, his registrar. The Dr. was on holiday. In the past this would have set my mother onto a very negative path and she would have been angry not to see Dr. Kamath, who she has felt to be very supportive. Ms. Juss offered for my mother the option to return when Dr. Kamath was back, if she objected. But it was most important for us to stick with the appt. on that day, so my mother settled into the necessary dialogue. Ms. Juss was very thorough, asked penetrating questions, waited carefully for the response and came to the conclusion that my mother needed several more tests in the department that day. She worked fast on getting these organised. She allowed us to clarify things. We found her to be a very efficient practitioner. We both felt that she got to the heart of things. Everyone in this department was very over stretched and whilst sitting in the corridor waiting for my mother to have her tests, it became obvious to me that this particular staff group are working under great duress. Yet their interactions with all the patients are personal and charming. They focus into each individual. They remember what is needed for various and make sure they have it ready.

The waiting room was constantly filling up with more chronic patients and yet, whilst the staff looked stressed and some looked very tired, what I witnessed in the "backstage situation" was only the most positive of behaviour with these professional people co-operating with one another, working fast and managing their horrendous workload extremely well.