He was merely doing his Job

I  drove in  to the emergency area  of a  renowned corporate hospital and had hardly stopped my car, when  up came the  security person and  rudely gestured  me to move out of that area.  He also blew his whistle at me as he advanced to my vehicle.   When he came close to the window, I smiled at him and asked him,  Is this a hospital or have I made a mistake?  He replied yes it is but this place is reserved  for the doctors so you better move on.  I then told him that a close relative sitting in the vehicle needed emergency care.  He said to my relative to get down and walk to the  emergency.

Again I had to intervene  and said we would need a wheel chair  since my relative could not walk due a fall.   He condescended and then asked another guard to get a wheelchair , who wheeled my relative into the ward.

I thereafter  parked my  car a safe distance away from the “ designated doctors  reserved area” and rushed to the  emergency.  In the flurry of  filling of forms and attending to my relative, the image of the  security  guard and  his authority flashed in my mind.

Here we were wanting to receive  healing and comfort from pain and the systems were just designed to  deliver the contrary.  The very first touch point of an institution whose purpose is to  reduce suffering  actually increases it.  Hospital emergency wards are where every  second is a difference between life and death.  The guard was merely doing his job.

I think there is an opportunity for such institutions to revisit their purpose and  educate all their employees and consultants to live up to their purpose and vision and truly serve their  customer!