popular waiting room!

My clinic can boast of a waiting room which can be labeled as ‘comfortable’. It is well ventilated and cool, has comfortable cane chairs, a clean toilet, and latest English and marathi magazines. Not year old issues. If I remember to switch on the CD player, there is some music too. Some of my patients have expressed their appreciation about the toilet and the availability of fresh magazines. Occasionally I find some one sitting in the waiting room AFTER the treatment to finish reading whatever they had left when called in. But till recently I did not know how popular it was.

The waiting room and the treatment area are separated only by a half door. The legs seen below the half door tell me that there is a person attached and he/she is waiting. I rarely find more than two legs waiting.

It was nearing closing time and I was treating the last case. A casual glance towards the waiting room showed four legs. I was half way through the last case and had some urgent work outside, to attend to, after that. Even if I had to just check the two people waiting out and fix appointments, it would take ten to fifteen minutes. But two patients waiting was quite good and I did not want to miss them. With reluctance I decided to stop at whatever stage I was and continue the treatment at the next appointment. I explained the situation to the person in the chair and requested him to bear with the inconvenience. He was good enough to accept. I sent him off and called the next person in.

“Oh, no, doctor. There is nothing wrong with my teeth. I had given my scooter for servicing in the Honda showroom next door and have to wait for it. One of my friends Mr.Varma is your patient. He told me that your waiting room is a nice place if I need to wait and so I am sitting here. This is my friend who has come with me. I hope it is not inconvenient to you”

I learnt that the waiting room had become more popular than the dentist.