I recently accompanied my wife for an appointment with a medical specialist at Gleneagles Medical Centre, which was scheduled for 9am.

Fourteen people entered a tiny waiting room when the door opened at 8.55am. Several were foreigners who had flown in for the day.

The first patient was seen at 9.23am. When he later requested an appointment in January, he was asked to call again in December as the clinic did not have a 2020 calendar.

My wife was seen at 9.40am, for a total of five minutes that included an injection.

We had to stand in the crowded clinic for the 10 minutes it took for the (hefty) bill to be prepared. When we left at 9.55am, there were still several patients waiting who had entered with us at 8.55am.

Our private medical practitioners are world-class. But their clinics offer abysmal customer service, with harried staff writing in physical appointment books in cramped rooms.

Private practitioners should visit a polyclinic or government specialist clinic to learn about world-class service. And perhaps someone could sell private clinics software such as electronic calendars.

Victor Alfreds