This review pertains to:
NAYARANA NETHRALYA EYE CLINIC
CASTLE STREET, ASHOK NAGAR, BANGALORE
(Located opposite Sacred Heart)
DATE OF INCIDENT: 1st April, 2017
TIME: The time stamp on my credit card receipt is 2:15pm
RECEIPT # 135911
1) PATHETIC clerical staff. I was screwed over from the time I walked in until the time I walked out. You don’t need to be of average intelligence and you don’t need a professional attitude to work here, just flaunt your flesh and you will get a desk job.
I’m not sure of this creature’s name, the bill signature says Shylaja. To be fair, I got passed from one female to another, the second girl being forced to clean up the mess made by the first one. Second girl was alright, but the first one was VERY bossy and arrogant, and was too illiterate to look at printed words on the form and correctly type them into the system. First girl screwed up both my first and last name, severely, on the ID card, and laughed about it when it was brought to her attention, as if it were very funny to waste my time with incompetence. This one was also WAY more interested in teasing dudes(or more likely, C-teasing the male staff), than doing her job. She had on a blue/green sari that was deliberately pulled down almost to her pubic bone with her crusty, unwashed navel and flabby midriff on full display, and was making a point to flaunt herself, while ignoring important patient details. She seemed to be the one "in charge" at the registration counter, going by her authoritative demeanor.
We hear so much talk about how women should wear sari to preserve/promote "Indian culture", but what is THIS? Is THIS "Indian culture" to show up at work, in a professional setting, with over half your upper body naked and exposed to hundreds of people, and to behave rudely and arrogantly, and to shamelessly screw up even the simplest of tasks before laughing about it? This woman and her ilk are an embarrassment to the female population and an embarrassment to self respecting Indians! We’re constantly told that educated, well heeled people who shuffle papers in an office are somehow "superior" to daily wage laborers who couldn’t afford college, but I beg to differ! I see other women, many of whom didn’t get a chance to go to college, and who get paid WAY less than Belly Bimbo, wearing the sari with some modicum of dignity, at least making some effort to cover themselves between bosom and hip, so what is this one’s excuse, since she’s obviously "educated" and paid enough to afford properly fitting attire? I’ve seen poor, marginally literate women doing construction work on the roads, building new footpaths for us to walk on, who behave better and dress better than this dumb trollop!
And no, this is NOT a "morality" issue, it’s about carrying oneself with dignity, and it’s about NOT being a gross and disgusting public nuisance. The second girl who was forced to correct Belly Bimbo’s errors was wearing PANTS and had herself dressed decently and was not acting rude or throwing herself at the guys, so this just goes to show that a sari has no magical powers to transform tramps into vestal virgins, nor does it instantly bestow high intellect or high standards of conduct on the wearer!
And NO, I’m not being misogynist, I would feel equally put off if the men showed up topless or clad only in underwear! I don’t want to see their crusty navels and belly flab either! 1) There is a time and place to show off your stinky belly button, and the facility’s patient registration counter is NOT the place- at least save it for the broom closet tryst if you’re not going to save it for the privacy of your home or hotel room! 2) If you’re going to display naked flesh in public, do us all a favor and make sure it’s worth viewing! Work out, tighten up those abdominal muscles and wash the black goo from your navel, thoroughly, with soap and water, before forcing us to look at it! Even the brainless Bollywood casting couch club has enough sense to flaunt only appealing attributes!
Sigh. Moving on.
When it was time to leave, this same arrogant, poorly clad lass refused to follow basic instructions of scheduling me an appointment at a different branch. The doctor clearly told staff to CALL a particular doctor and schedule me an appointment at another branch, but instead this haughty hussy scribbled down a phone number on scratch paper and told ME to call for an appointment. This was the proverbial straw. The camel isn’t just paralyzed, it’s freaking dead.
Between the staff’s gross lack of professionalism and refusal to follow basic instructions, and having time wasted by 2 doctors already, I got fed up and decided to ditch Narayana Nethralya altogether. If you want to be treated in a rude, impersonal manner by staff and passed around from one person to the other like tagged/numbered cattle, and be screwed over by dumb interns and dubious doctors, save some money and go to St. Martha’s or Philomena’s where you will get the same low standards of crap service at a lower price.
2) Ripped off and very disappointed by the doctors.
I paid Rs. 1, 000 upfront, on the assumption that I would see ONLY the doctor of my choice, and I expected to have my eyes dilated and examined by a mature, experienced professional. I was instructed to first consult with a young woman who appeared to be an inexperienced intern, fresh out of med school. She asked me about my medical history then when I clearly disclosed the relevant details, she looked very confused and clueless, as if she had no idea what I was talking about- exactly the way a marginally literate person with NO medical education would look at you if you began disclosing information about a medical condition.
I don’t know if she attended a bad medical school or if she is another Ruby Rai with fake certificates, but she was a non-listening/non-comprehending moron. She wasn’t hostile, just incredibly dumb and stubborn, like a space cadet with "seemingly" good intentions. She asked about my glasses, I told her the current prescription is still working for me, but she seemed to think I was too stupid to differentiate between lenses that help me see and those that don’t, so she insisted on wasting my time by making me read charts through various lenses. After completely ignoring what I said, and wasting my time with chart reading, she announced in a very surprised and amazed tone that my current lens prescription is right for me. I chewed my tongue to keep from shouting, "NO SH* SHERLOCK, I JUST TOLD YOU THAT!"
After wasting my time with Dr Miss Helium Head, I was seen by what I assumed to be a mature and experienced doctor. He has all the relevant ophthalmologist initials after his name, and bears the "Medical Director" title as well. With all these credentials, I expected him to dilate my eyes and tell me why I’m seeing a grey/black floater in one eye(it’s been there over a month and never goes away). He refused to do the job, saying he is not a "retina specialist" and insisted that I be passed off to a young doctor who has only minimal experience(he insisted she is a "retina specialist" despite the fact she hasn’t been out of med school very long and has very limited experience).
This struck me as utter horse crap. How do you get to be "Medical Director" over the ophthalmology wing of a so-called "super specialty hospital" if you are not qualified to dilate and examine human eyeballs? Where on earth is there an ophthalmology clinic, anywhere in the world, supervised by "Medical Directors" who lack the ability to dilate/examine/diagnose? This doctor seems to have struck some deal with Narayana Nethralaya’s profiteering department, perhaps some agreement to share patients, in order to ensure all doctors get equal billing opportunities, even if they are inexperienced and/or undeserving, and even if it goes against the patients’ best interests!
Don’t go just yet, dear reader, it gets better! After failing to convince me to waste time on a less experienced doctor, and finally agreeing to refer me to an experienced doctor at the other branch(didn’t take long for me to abandon this bad idea as well) he basically did an internet parrot act with regards to possible causes of the floater, reiterating to me a mere portion of the exact same information I had already read on medical websites prior to seeking medical attention! I had already read that this type of floater could be caused by vitreous detachment, retinal damage/tear, or glaucoma. He didn’t mention retinal damage or glaucoma, but speculated it could be vitreous detachment, and insisted that this is somehow a perfectly normal thing, and told me that it’s "a good thing!"
Call me crazy, but I fail to understand how any sort of "detachment" inside the eye, or a potentially degenerative eye condition, could possibly be a GOOD THING!?
Another thing that bugged and amused the devil out of me. While he was trying to convince me to see this less experienced, newbie "retina specialist, " he attempted to win my trust by mentioning the religious community he and she belong to, before adding that they are "highly educated people." BWAHAHAHAHAAAAA! I swear to you he actually mentioned religion and high educational standards in the same sentence! Hilarious!
Forgive me if I’m deeply suspicious of doctors, self proclaimed people of science, who believe in and attempt to communicate with imaginary friends!
I may as well have shoved Rs 1, 000 up a wild boar’s behind, because I walked out with NO diagnosis and NO referral appointment!
Now I’m boycotting ALL of these corporate, "super specialty" scam centers and seeking an experienced eye doctor who has his own little hassle free clinic- When there’s only 1 receptionist and 1-3 doctors max, patients get overall better service, since each person is forced to actually do some work without passing the patient around like a party favor.
I’ve been to St. Martha’s in the past for other problems, and they’re pretty lousy too, and my friend got screwed over pretty bad at Philomena’s, but at least you KNOW what to expect at these places and the fees are less. The competence levels of doctors, nurses and admin staff at Martha’s and Philomena’s are exactly the same as what you see at expensive corporate hospitals- they all suck equally, but prices are variable.
Now that I think about it. Buying healthcare in Bangalore is no different than buying shady ladies- the one that costs Rs 100 can do all the same tricks as the one that costs Rs 1, 000. Only difference is the one that costs 1, 000 has the extra cash for the make-up required to cover her herpes sores, and for perfume to mask the syphilis stench, so you get tricked into thinking she’s a little cleaner and worth the extra coin, all the while the joke is on you!