Recently I was away on a two weeks holiday. Made use of the opportunity to get my clinic premises done up. I gave a bare outline as to my ideas of what needs to be done to my architect and friend of many years and went my way. My friends and patients know me better than I myself do and the result of the facelift was much better than it would have been had I supervised the proceedings.
You might wonder why I did spend a packet of money to do up a place which was in no real need of sprucing up. The answer is simple. I was bored looking at the same walls, colors, pictures and wanted something different to look at which would make me happy. I had bought a metal multicolored fresco to adorn the wall facing me and had got the widow glass painted with flowers and falling leaves by a professional artist. The drab off white colours of the walls were replaced with bright yellow green and orange with partial wooden paneling.
Gifted away my old unwieldy desk and big and high examination table and replaced them with small wooden desk and a low couch. My geriatric patients often found it difficult o climb on to the old table and now I am sure they will like the new set up. The floor was re-laid with dull brown sand stone.
When I came back I was faced with this brilliant transformation. A kind of mini miracle in a matter of 15 days. A dull clinic with drab interiors was transformed into something beautiful to look at and work with in. When I told my friend how happy I am, he said, ‘most of the workers know you and wanted to please you and the result is this. There is work done for money and work done for love and what you see is work done for love’
You see my friends, the advantages of being a doctor!
I am happy to be working from the new premises, but what about my patients? Majority of them noticed the change and were happy. There were quite a few who were so immersed in their problem that the change went unnoticed and there were a few who noticed the change but were a bit apprehensive and one or two of them were bold enough to ask me, ‘ doc, I hope you are not going to hike your fee’!
But let me tell you, it does make a lot of difference, if you brighten up the place, to your well being.
4 comments:
Doc....yes...its true that your clinic now looks quite chic....but it has also probably lost quite a bit of its comforting aura. Walking into your clinic earlier was much like walking into the home of an old friend...the happy chaos on your table always held some new curiosity and one could palpably relax and let one's hair down sitting on the chair. Now...it looks and feels a much more business-like space...a place where you need to be precise and proper...a space where you go to meet a "health professional" rather than a "family doctor". I hope you don't mind me saying so...especially since you have spent quite a packet as you say...but I really did like the old set-up far more :-)
You are not the only one who felt like that. I too felt uncomfortable for a while. The old dump had that influence. But do you think family doctors should sit in dingy dumps?
The place now has had few destractors, mainly childern who felt that many discards that they wcould play with are now missing!
But I am happy because the place is brighter, has more space and older patients have much more comfort now than before.
I know for sure you too will like the new vbes in the course of time!
B.C.Rao
Make over is the order of the day. Change it is said is the only constant. I find the new set up refreshing and nice. Kudos to your architect friend and his artisans who have done their best out of love. But for me, as far as the person is you, your clinic old or transformed makes little difference.
yes doctor, your clinic is looking nice. and why shouldn't you have a workplace done the way you like, after all, you spend a lot of time, concentration and effort within that space, no?
I love your front porch too, by the way, and only yesterday i was thinking how carefully the step by the gate has been designed to suit the geriatric. do compliment your architect friend.
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