I’ve been calling the hospital where I brought my sister last year when she had an allergy attack to ask for an appointment with one of the two Medicard-accredited dentists near my place. Our conversations over the phone went like this:
Before the Holy Week
Z: Hello. I’m calling to ask for an appointment. Can I go before the holidays, preferably morning because I have work?
Dentist’s secretary (DS): Clinic hours are 8 to 5. By the way, do you have HMO?
Z: Yes.
DS: The dentist is only available by 3 pm then.
Z: That’s fine. I’ll come at 3.
DS: No. Call us first again to check if we can accommodate you.
Z: Ganun? I’ll just call again after the holidays. Might have more slots by then.
This Monday (around 2 pm; I didn’t identify myself as someone who called from a week back)
Z: Hello, is the dentist available later this afternoon? I can go anytime between now and 5 pm.
DS: Are you a private client or do you have HMO?
Z: Medicard.
DS: Oh, sorry, the dentist is going home right about now.
Z: But I thought the clinic’s open until 5?
DS: Ahhh… uhmmm… The dentist chair’s dysfunctional kasi.
Z: Ha! ha ! ha!
So I ended up going to Mall of Asia instead to buy a loaf of Chocolat dark chocolate cake to munch on. Then I called the other dentist who readily gave me a 9:30 am appointment the following day.
I shouldn’t find this funny, but I somehow do. The sheer inventiveness of the secretary’s last words just to subtly reject me as a client is beyond me. You know that gesture where you make an L shape with your thumb and index finger and then point the index finger to your temple? Yeah.
how’s the chocolate cake? (para naman di masyadong mag-init ang ulo mo…)
Posted by eks at March 29, 2008, 6:22 pmtht’s so typical… i heward somewhere that Medicard ranks low among affiliated medical professionals kasi barat daw yung rates nila compared w/ other HMO cards 
Ay nako! Sa UST, pag HMO (kahir hindi Medicard) cardholder ka, parang dalita ang turing sa’yo! Terrible! Tapos dun sa doctor, sus, kahit una kaming dumarating, inihuhuli kami. Something na di nangyayari sa Asian, kahit sa HMO cardholders.
Posted by TPS at March 30, 2008, 5:59 pmeks, OK yung Chocolat. Yum!
kaka, onyxx, TPS, I have the same experience with a doc from MMC. I came while the doc’s still at lunch and I was the first patient there but I was called after four others (I’m guessing “paying” clients). Tapos nung kausap na ko nung doc, sobra siyang nagmamadali, she almost didn’t want to do a physical check up; she was so dismissive when she told me I have nothing to worry about; I didn’t seem to have whatever it is I was worried about daw.
Posted by zarine at March 31, 2008, 9:24 pmAll comments are moderated. Your comments will not appear here unless approved by the blog owner. Thank you.
yeah it’s funny how secretaries have to look like a big L fot these so-called HMO-accredited doctors. But come to think of it, nakaka-init sila ng ulo.
Posted by kA2x at March 29, 2008, 1:47 pmDuring checkups with my first OBgyne, tamlay na tamlay sya, at saglit na saglit lang, whereas with her other non-HMO clients, she seemed energetic. Kainis di ba?