A TALE OF TWO NEIGHBORS / PATIENTS
I have two neighbors, who incidentally became patients of mine as well. One is in his early thirties and resides at the left side of our house.....and the other is well into his seventies and resides at the right side of our house.....their differences does not end there, unfortunately.....
First...my young neighbor, the one of the left side......he has sought consult perhaps about 7-8 times in a span of 1 or 2 years. His complaints are almost always the same, he either has or had an asthma attack or had diarrhea, and after consult, he would ask for a Medical Certificate for the office since he was absent for work. After obtaining his prescriptions and medical certificate, he would say a quick thanks and then turn his back and leave.....he would never ask how much the professional fee (pf) was, not from me and not from my secretary.
Just a few days ago, he sent his nanny to my clinic with his kid. The nanny said, they needed a clearance of some sort, I said I did not understand what they needed. So the nanny tried her best to explain.....it still came out quite vague, but from what I understood....they brought their kid to their pediatrician to get some shots, then they found out they could reimburse the amount from the office and decided to get the certificate and the receipt from me, although his kid had never been my patient. I said I'd consider doing it, but I'd have to talk to the parents to get all the necessary details. They haven't come back.
Second....my 70+ year old neighbor, the one on the right side......he sought consult about a week ago, for the first time ever, because he got scared as he felt that something was wrong with him......so I examined him and found out that he was hypertensive and it was alarmingly high, so I gave him the necessary medications, and I took a history of meds and found out that he while he had several anti-hypertensive meds, he was not adequately covered for 24 hours. So I just adjusted his meds. Then before I allowed him to go home, I made sure that his BP had gone down to normal. When it was time for him to leave, he could not stop saying thank you and this was his exact words....."I would like to ask how much and I would like to pay you, but you might get mad at me. This is the reason I never bother you. I don't know what to say?" ...and I said, "You are right, if you had asked me and insisted to pay me, I would be hurt, we are neighbors after all. Please do come for consult anytime."
Again, the differences between my 2 neighbors don't end there....
The first neighbor.....we are just acquaintances, I actually don't know anything about him, we have never talked, unless it was about his complaints as a patient,.....and during the holidays, we both don't go out of our ways to greet each other. You can go as far as saying that we're not really friends. You see, this is peculiar to me, because almost all of my patients have become my friends.
The second neighbor....we are really good friends. He advises me about my brother, tells me to be careful when I come home from work at 2-3 a.m.....and during the holidays, we go out of our ways to greet each other and exchange goodies. He is also a very religious man and he prayed for my wife when she was sick.
It is quite difficult to understand why these two neighbors of mine are so different...both are well educated. Are we just suppose to accept that those belonging to the older generation are more courteous and respectful? Are we just suppose to conclude that their must be vast differences in the way they were brought up? Useless to tire one's mind coming up with an answer.
Lessons to be learned......
First, always conduct ourselves properly, because it says a lot about us and about we were brought up. It's unfair to our parents and to our ancestors, who may have been great people.
Second, regardless of who we are dealing with.....it could be our employer, our employee, our relatives, our neighbors our friends...we should always be respectful and courteous, even when they are not!
Third, the fact that one is your neighbor or your friend, or someone very close to you....should not make you more complacent in treating him with courtesy and respect.....if any, you should treat him with more respect as he is very dear to your heart.
Fourth, as a doctor, I have to treat both patients with equal diligence and patience, regardless of their manners and, whether they will pay me or not.
God bless all doctors! God bless all patients! God bless our neighbors! God bless our friends! God bless everyone!
I have two neighbors, who incidentally became patients of mine as well. One is in his early thirties and resides at the left side of our house.....and the other is well into his seventies and resides at the right side of our house.....their differences does not end there, unfortunately.....
First...my young neighbor, the one of the left side......he has sought consult perhaps about 7-8 times in a span of 1 or 2 years. His complaints are almost always the same, he either has or had an asthma attack or had diarrhea, and after consult, he would ask for a Medical Certificate for the office since he was absent for work. After obtaining his prescriptions and medical certificate, he would say a quick thanks and then turn his back and leave.....he would never ask how much the professional fee (pf) was, not from me and not from my secretary.
Just a few days ago, he sent his nanny to my clinic with his kid. The nanny said, they needed a clearance of some sort, I said I did not understand what they needed. So the nanny tried her best to explain.....it still came out quite vague, but from what I understood....they brought their kid to their pediatrician to get some shots, then they found out they could reimburse the amount from the office and decided to get the certificate and the receipt from me, although his kid had never been my patient. I said I'd consider doing it, but I'd have to talk to the parents to get all the necessary details. They haven't come back.
Second....my 70+ year old neighbor, the one on the right side......he sought consult about a week ago, for the first time ever, because he got scared as he felt that something was wrong with him......so I examined him and found out that he was hypertensive and it was alarmingly high, so I gave him the necessary medications, and I took a history of meds and found out that he while he had several anti-hypertensive meds, he was not adequately covered for 24 hours. So I just adjusted his meds. Then before I allowed him to go home, I made sure that his BP had gone down to normal. When it was time for him to leave, he could not stop saying thank you and this was his exact words....."I would like to ask how much and I would like to pay you, but you might get mad at me. This is the reason I never bother you. I don't know what to say?" ...and I said, "You are right, if you had asked me and insisted to pay me, I would be hurt, we are neighbors after all. Please do come for consult anytime."
Again, the differences between my 2 neighbors don't end there....
The first neighbor.....we are just acquaintances, I actually don't know anything about him, we have never talked, unless it was about his complaints as a patient,.....and during the holidays, we both don't go out of our ways to greet each other. You can go as far as saying that we're not really friends. You see, this is peculiar to me, because almost all of my patients have become my friends.
The second neighbor....we are really good friends. He advises me about my brother, tells me to be careful when I come home from work at 2-3 a.m.....and during the holidays, we go out of our ways to greet each other and exchange goodies. He is also a very religious man and he prayed for my wife when she was sick.
It is quite difficult to understand why these two neighbors of mine are so different...both are well educated. Are we just suppose to accept that those belonging to the older generation are more courteous and respectful? Are we just suppose to conclude that their must be vast differences in the way they were brought up? Useless to tire one's mind coming up with an answer.
Lessons to be learned......
First, always conduct ourselves properly, because it says a lot about us and about we were brought up. It's unfair to our parents and to our ancestors, who may have been great people.
Second, regardless of who we are dealing with.....it could be our employer, our employee, our relatives, our neighbors our friends...we should always be respectful and courteous, even when they are not!
Third, the fact that one is your neighbor or your friend, or someone very close to you....should not make you more complacent in treating him with courtesy and respect.....if any, you should treat him with more respect as he is very dear to your heart.
Fourth, as a doctor, I have to treat both patients with equal diligence and patience, regardless of their manners and, whether they will pay me or not.
God bless all doctors! God bless all patients! God bless our neighbors! God bless our friends! God bless everyone!
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