A lot of hype and a disappointing experience at the Centre for Sight's new service centre in Dwarka

One is not new to hospital experiences and having to wait long hours for one's turn at the best of hospitals in the city. It does not matter that you have a prior appointment! But the Centre for Sight was particularly bad, in that they made false assurances while keeping me waiting.

I had an appointment for 11:30 a.m., and the place looked like there were hardly any patients visiting, as this centre has not completed even a month since its opening. I was hopeful of an early exit after my case. The optometrist finished her job within 15 minutes, and suggested that I would need to have the pupils dilated prior to examination by the ophthalmologist, and that the procedure would take about 30 minutes, so I said alright I am prepared to wait until then.

Little did I realise then how the system worked. While I was kept waiting, they had a series of other patients go in and see the doc. 30 minutes stretched to an hour, an hour and a half, and still my turn wasn't announced. On asking the attendants, they said I should wait until my name is called. Waiting is worse when your pupils are dilated and there's little else you can do but count the minutes ticking past, worrying about all the other meetings, appointments and tasks that you are missing out...waiting for your turn to be called! Besides, there was not enough room to even sit there, patients jostling each other and attendants pushing past.

Eventually I could wait no more. It was past 1:30 p.m. (1 hr and 45 minutes after the first drops were put in), so I requested that I be given my papers so I could leave. The attendant in-charge of the centre handed me a piece of paper with nothing written on it, not even the optometrist's test results. I had a harrowing time getting at least that.

On the way out, I decided to have a word with the centre manager. But the gentleman was away, "on official work". everyone at the CFS is apparently working and very busy; unfortunately, they seem to think that the patients who visit them have all the time in the world to waste at their hospital.

I would not wish any one of my friends or family to visit the CFS.