Normally I think of doctor's surgeries, hospitals and similar places as 'safe' places to be, though this is not always the case. Often, nurses, doctors, paramedics and administrative staff have to put up with people who are not always feeling the best, and as a consequence, don't always behave the best. Or with whole families with kids in tow, when the kids are playing up and sometimes the parents don't always control them. Or, in extreme cases, the person gets really obnoxious and abusive.
This is the case when I witnessed an incident involving one of those particularly obnoxious and agressive patients: a middle-aged or elderly man who looked like he was in a bit of pain and could do with a good sit-down, but still continued to stand when there was probably enough room to sit down.
Then he started griping on about how he needed to sit, and needed his personal space as well. When that was falling on deaf ears, he asked two girls (of African appearance) whether or not they were patients. When they tried to explain to him that they were waiting for their mother, he said, 'You're not a patient, get out!!!' (and was speaking to them like they were dogs).
Some other people in the waiting room, including an elderly New Zealander couple and a young British man, offered up his seat. The elderly man told him to stop behaving like a ratbag, while the English guy told him to take a 'polite pill'. Not only did he not thank anyone for offering them his seat, but he also threatened the elderly man and told him to 'watch his mouth'.
Then he started going on about how 'in his day' young people were polite and stood up for the elderly and the like, and how he hated sitting 'up close' to people. Yes, I can understand his frustration, because I don't always like sitting up close either (especially when there are people who smell really funny and the like, and have bad body odour, or fart alot etc), and that sometimes whole familes accompany the patient to the doctor's appointment and the kids especially can be annoying (even more so in particular ethnic groups).
And yes, families and couples do take up space as well (much more than people on their own), and this can be frustrating as well, especially when the surgery and waiting room are even more crowded than what they should be. However there is no rule to say that they shouldn't, because most doctors understand that that's what many family members do when a loved one goes to the doctor. And by rights, the girls weren't really doing anything wrong, apart from allegedly 'taking up space' when a 'real' patient should be sitting there. Talk about rude!!! And the other people were waiting there much longer than him too!!!
However, there are rules to say that patients are not allowed to threaten, assault or bully anyone else, no matter how frustrating the situation may be for them. In the other surgery, and in hospitals, there are signs that stipulate that patients are not allowed to threaten or abuse anyone, be it the staff, the other patients or anyone else.
In the end, a few people (who didn't like what they saw) ended up walking out (and they were waiting longer than what I was too). So, when one of the doctors (who had no patients to see) came out and asked who was waiting, I was very quick to put my hand up and say that if noone wanted to see him, I would.
I then told him about the situation, and how I witnessed him threatening another patient on top of abusing those two poor girls (who, in my opinion, were doing nothing wrong). He told me he was pleased to see, or hear of, the patients sticking up for each other.
If only more people were like that in other places - like my workplace, for instance - it was such a breath of fresh air. And I admired the way the two girls kept their calm and would have happily left had not the wife of the elderly man told them they shouldn't. And because their mother very kindly offered up my seat and went and sat down on the same sofa they were sitting on, I felt I owed it to her to stick up for her daughters.
As they say, one good turn deserves another.
cheers,
Night Owl
This is the case when I witnessed an incident involving one of those particularly obnoxious and agressive patients: a middle-aged or elderly man who looked like he was in a bit of pain and could do with a good sit-down, but still continued to stand when there was probably enough room to sit down.
Then he started griping on about how he needed to sit, and needed his personal space as well. When that was falling on deaf ears, he asked two girls (of African appearance) whether or not they were patients. When they tried to explain to him that they were waiting for their mother, he said, 'You're not a patient, get out!!!' (and was speaking to them like they were dogs).
Some other people in the waiting room, including an elderly New Zealander couple and a young British man, offered up his seat. The elderly man told him to stop behaving like a ratbag, while the English guy told him to take a 'polite pill'. Not only did he not thank anyone for offering them his seat, but he also threatened the elderly man and told him to 'watch his mouth'.
Then he started going on about how 'in his day' young people were polite and stood up for the elderly and the like, and how he hated sitting 'up close' to people. Yes, I can understand his frustration, because I don't always like sitting up close either (especially when there are people who smell really funny and the like, and have bad body odour, or fart alot etc), and that sometimes whole familes accompany the patient to the doctor's appointment and the kids especially can be annoying (even more so in particular ethnic groups).
And yes, families and couples do take up space as well (much more than people on their own), and this can be frustrating as well, especially when the surgery and waiting room are even more crowded than what they should be. However there is no rule to say that they shouldn't, because most doctors understand that that's what many family members do when a loved one goes to the doctor. And by rights, the girls weren't really doing anything wrong, apart from allegedly 'taking up space' when a 'real' patient should be sitting there. Talk about rude!!! And the other people were waiting there much longer than him too!!!
However, there are rules to say that patients are not allowed to threaten, assault or bully anyone else, no matter how frustrating the situation may be for them. In the other surgery, and in hospitals, there are signs that stipulate that patients are not allowed to threaten or abuse anyone, be it the staff, the other patients or anyone else.
In the end, a few people (who didn't like what they saw) ended up walking out (and they were waiting longer than what I was too). So, when one of the doctors (who had no patients to see) came out and asked who was waiting, I was very quick to put my hand up and say that if noone wanted to see him, I would.
I then told him about the situation, and how I witnessed him threatening another patient on top of abusing those two poor girls (who, in my opinion, were doing nothing wrong). He told me he was pleased to see, or hear of, the patients sticking up for each other.
If only more people were like that in other places - like my workplace, for instance - it was such a breath of fresh air. And I admired the way the two girls kept their calm and would have happily left had not the wife of the elderly man told them they shouldn't. And because their mother very kindly offered up my seat and went and sat down on the same sofa they were sitting on, I felt I owed it to her to stick up for her daughters.
As they say, one good turn deserves another.
cheers,
Night Owl
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