A call for respect in our hospitals!

Sri Lanka can rightfully take pride in its healthcare system. For a country with limited resources, we have built a structure that delivers treatment to millions, free at the point of delivery, and produces doctors who are respected across the world. Our medical professionals are skilled, dedicated and often overworked. Yet, there is one painful reality patients across the island know too well and suffer in silence; doctors not arriving on time, and patients being made to wait for hours, sometimes in agony, fear and distress.

This problem is not limited to overcrowded government hospitals. It is equally, if not more, visible in the private healthcare sector where patients pay exorbitant fees and still sit on benches and plastic chairs, staring at doors, unsure when the doctor will finally arrive.

Pregnant mothers, elderly patients, children, and those with mental health conditions are often forced to wait for hours. Clinics scheduled for the morning begin in the afternoon. Appointments given for a specific time mean very little. For a patient, every minute feels longer when pain, anxiety and exhaustion take over.

I once witnessed a heartbreaking scene in a private hospital waiting area. A couple had brought their elderly father who was delirious and clearly distressed. He could not remain seated, kept trying to stand up, cried out and begged to be taken home. The couple struggled to calm him, apologising to other patients while trying to keep him safe. The doctor arrived nearly two hours late. By then, not only had the patient suffered, but his family had endured public humiliation, emotional trauma and helplessness. This is not healthcare with dignity. This is not compassion. This is not what the white coat should represent.

We must be honest enough to say this. Medical expertise alone is not enough. Empathy, punctuality and respect are not optional extras. They are part of treatment.

Of course, doctors are human. They deal with emergencies, long surgeries and exhausting schedules. No reasonable person expects perfection or mechanical punctuality. But when delays become routine rather than exceptional, when clinics regularly start hours late, when no explanations are offered and patients are treated as though their time has no value, then the system itself has failed.

In government hospitals, the problem is often blamed on workload and staff shortages. These are real issues and cannot be ignored. But poor systems cannot justify poor manners or silence. Even a simple announcement explaining delays, even a junior doctor checking on waiting patients, can restore some dignity to those sitting in corridors and clinics.

In private hospitals, however, the situation is harder to defend. When patients are paying thousands of rupees for consultation alone, punctuality should not be a luxury. Many doctors run from one hospital to another, stacking appointments back to back, creating inevitable delays. Hospitals allow this because famous names bring profits. Patients are caught in between, paying premium prices for substandard scheduling practices.

What, then, can be done?

First, hospitals must enforce realistic scheduling systems. Clinics should not be overbooked simply to maximise profit or squeeze more patients into a day. Appointment slots must reflect the doctor’s actual availability. Second, transparent communication must become standard practice. If a doctor is delayed, patients should be informed immediately. Estimated waiting times should be displayed. Third, hospital administrators must take responsibility instead of passing all blame onto doctors. Fourth, professional medical bodies should include punctuality and patient respect as part of ethical practice. 

Fifth, patients must be empowered to speak without fear. Complaint mechanisms should be simple, visible and effective. Finally, the government must invest more in mental health services and maternal care facilities, where waiting can be especially damaging. Dedicated clinic times, better staffing and mobile outreach units can reduce congestion and protect the most vulnerable from unnecessary distress.

Doctors hold enormous power in society, and rightly so. They save lives and heal bodies. But with that power comes responsibility. A patient sitting for hours in pain is not just a name on a clinic card. Sri Lanka’s healthcare system deserves praise for its reach and resilience. But if we truly want to call it humane, then time and empathy must be treated as part of medicine itself.