Dubai: An 81-year old Dubai resident is seeking an apology from a clinic where she tripped and fell at the entrance resulting in fractured toes. She is protesting the clinic’s cavalier attitude and lack of respect for the elderly.
Mary Gopal Ghoderao, a resident of Al Karama, Dubai, for the last 30 years was visiting a general physician at the Aster Clinic in Al Karama on July 20, accompanied by her daughter Anita. The daughter dropped the mother at the door of the clinic and went ahead to park the car. The mother attempted to climb the step to the entrance which was quite high.
“There should have been two steps instead of one. As my mother tried to climb and open the glass door, she lost balance and fell, twisting her leg. She was in great pain immediately. By then I was by her side trying to prop her up. But no one from the clinic came to her aid although some staff members were watching. In a short while, as I was struggling, a patient came and helped her on her feet and inside,” said Anita.
As Mary complained of sharp pain, the daughter requested a nurse to have the general physician examine her mother. She was told the doctor, who had too many patients, had been informed and would do so when he was free. “I was very upset and actually lodged a complaint. After waiting for nearly an hour, I just walked into the doctor’s room and he was surprised as he said he had not been informed. He recommended I take her to another Aster clinic as this one did not have an orthopaedic doctor.”
The daughter then took her mother to Rashid Hospital where an X-ray revealed two toe fractures. Her leg was put in a cast and she was advised bed rest.
The expat is seeking an apology and explanation from the clinic. “After my mum was hurt, she was in great pain, I requested a wheelchair, but we were ignored by the Aster staff. I have written a complaint in the clinic and also lodged a complaint through their call centre and website,” she said.
However, ten days after the incident, after the group spokesperson was contacted by Gulf News, Ghoderao received a call from the customer relations officer who explained to her that since they open the complaint box once in ten days, he was able to respond only now.
“How can a clinic sit on complaints for ten days and what is the point of lodging a complaint if it is not attended to,” Anita asks.
“On that day when Ghoderao requested asked for a wheelchair, the clinic informed her they did not have one. When she asked them why they did not have a ramp at the entrance they told her it was not allowed by the Dubai Municipality. I called up the Dubai Municipality’s toll-free number and they told me this was not true. Now, 10 days later, the clinic has placed a ramp at the entrance. If the municipal laws did not permit it earlier, how come the ramp was set up after I complained to the newspaper?” she asked.
Anita added: “I fail to understand why a clinic would ignore having the basic facilities to assist the old and the disabled. This could have happened to anyone. In the end what really upset me was when I was leaving the clinic, not one staff member offered to assist my mother to the car. She might have compressed it further getting down that step, hobbling on the fractured toes. I am protesting so that the clinic takes note of our woes and this kind of incident is not repeated in the future.”
Meanwhile, Manish Jain, assistant general manager of operations, Aster Medical Centre, told Gulf News: “We give utmost importance to patient care and the quality of service patients are met with across our units. We have investigated the complaint with the concerned medical centre. We have also gone through the patient record information. The patient, Mrs Mary Gopal, aged 81 years, had a fall while entering the clinic on July 20. The doctor available at that point of time, a general medicine specialist, attended to the patient. In order to rule out the probability of a fracture, he referred the patient to an orthopaedic specialist at our second facility in Al Karama. However, the patient refused the doctor’s advice. This, even despite repeated insistence of the doctor and the nursing staff. The patient left the clinic premises thereafter.
“It is important for us that every patient who walks in is greeted and treated with care and attention. We regret that the patient has not been fully satisfied with our service. Feedback such as this helps us to constantly improve and better our delivery of care. We have been in touch with the patient post her visit and would continue to do so to ensure that all of her concerns are addressed.”
