Professional Services

My medical report states that I need to get Hepatitis B vaccination. Need 3 jabs. Naturally, being a working person, with budget constraints, living in pretty bad times, I need to know how much it would cost? How much I need to put aside, maybe plan out when to even take the jabs so that I can kinda spread out the costs. The clinic willingly told me that it would be RM55 per shot. Wow! But I know I have to get it done. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my medical report. Darn. So, after work I went to the neighborhood clinic. Thinking that I had better check the price again, just in case it’s more than what I was told. The nurse at the reception was not too sure how much exactly. She went to the back to ask the doctor. When she came back, she told me that the doctor said that this clinic is not a ‘kedai runcit’, if I want to take the jabs, just make an appointment. WHAT THE HELL??!? I’m sorry for not being RICH like the damn doctors, I can’t just blindly take up something which I may not afford, alright?

Emotions aside, it has dawned on me that there is something quite wrong with the way people perceive themselves. Sure, you may be a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, a pharmacist, a dentist, what society label as “professionals”, but let’s not forget that you are also providing services to the public. And services are no different from buying groceries from the 'kedai runcit' because this 'kedai runcit' is also offering services, ie they sell goods which you need. I don’t really see why I can’t shop around, like how I would in a ‘kedai runcit’, when I need to engage professional services. Haven’t we all gone to a referred lawyer because they might charge less? Haven’t we gone to a certain pharmacist because he’s known to offer extra services like checking your blood pressure for free? Haven’t we gone to a dentist, oh because she’s so and so’s daughter who may be able to give a discount on those hefty-costing braces? Don't the engineers also send out quotes to customers for comparison?

I just don’t think there’s any need to define ourselves so much. I’ll be fair; the doctor was peeved because he feels his work is really about saving lives and not about selling his services. But if you let your “professional” work define you, than you’re nothing more than your work. Your whole being is about work. Geez, what a bore! Furthermore, let’s not forget that I’m also a patient/customer. If I don’t like you, the almighty doctor, I can just as well take my jabs somewhere else, where they’d tell me how much I’m paying for first.