Do Eye Really Care ?. Review on Vasan Eye Care - Pitampura - Delhi

A grey facade standing arrogantly by the side of a well populated road bisected by the  monstrous columns of a winding overhead Metro. The signage reads Vasan Eye Care,  Changing Vision.  Granite steps leading up to huge glass doors opened into a squarish hallway where men and women sat patiently awaiting their turn. On the left was the reception where a pair of young girl and boy manned the counter, attended  phone calls and directed visitors to comply with the Registration Formalities. The waiting area, on either side, was flagged by cabins and counters with large signposts - Pharmacy, Optometry, Counselling etc.

The frequent ads on TV  were a terrific motivator. Just ten minutes drive from my residence too. I was curious to note how medical care could be lucratively packaged with personal attendance.

I hurriedly scanned the periphery to catch the semblance of care as I made my way to the Reception. Earlier during the day I had made a telephonic appointment. Of course, the consultation charges differed for walk-in patients(Rs. 150/-)  and patients with prior appointment(Rs. 250/-) "You need not wait in queue if you make an appointment, Ma'am", Informed an eager-to-influence-you voice over phone. That  was the biggest advantage. I fell for the trap.

Back at the reception, I was disappointed to note that the girl, with an air of authority, failed to ascertain my appointment. The boy looked equally uninformed. A printed pad was unceremoniously thrusted forward to fill in for preliminary registration. I was told it wouldn't take ten minutes to start the process. I wondered what process they were referring to. I just wanted my eyes, red and itchy, to be tested.That's all.

True to their words,  about a minute later, I was inside one of the cabins getting my eyes examined through those black and white machines which were common fixtures at an optician's. The only unease was the technician at the other end of the scanner. I had expected a qualified doctor!

Next.another cabin.another technician. This time it was power check-up. When were they going to tell me what was wrong with my eyes? The man pushed the glasses hard into my eyes. I winced. He apologized. I could make out he was a novice. After all I was getting my power checked since childhood!

And then interminable wait.The doctor was busy. Well, there was a doctor, was there?

I took stock of my surrounding. A cluster of saree-clad girls hovering around like one saw in the front-line offices of  hotels. A few with overalls on moving in and out of cabins looking generally busy. A doctor, who behaved more like an administrator, exchanged pleasantries with the girls  and then got busy checking bills and other un-doctorly works. Two men with stout bags, who positively looked like Medical Representatives, made headway for the Doctor's room.

One of the girls came over and asked me whether I was waiting for the doctor. Obvious, wasn't it? I reminded her that even with a prior appointment I had been sitting for forty minutes to be checked up. She explained that my entry into the hospital had coincided with lunch time. Did I expect the doctor to leave his lunch and examine me? Of course not. That was inhuman. But wasn't I told at the reception that there was a panel of doctors lying in wait to fulfill the Hippocrates' Oath. Where were they? Or did they all partake lunch at the same time? The girl quietly took off to consult with her senior.

The officious senior informed that the doctor was busy with people from the Marketing Department. Eh! Nowadays Med Reps were known to belong to the Marketing Department? Real cute!  I could have given her a showdown but by this time, I supposed the doctor had been filled in about an errant patient who refused to be quietened by running eyes and hampered vision.

I was called in forthwith. A middle-aged guy with a salt and pepper mop prompted me to another machine and after a few minutes pronounced me fit. "B.but what about this redness and.?" "Well that's due to prolonged hours before the computer. We'll give you a few drops  and check again. I think your power is also incorrect. You'll have to come again to get your power checked. Do you want to pay a second visit?" He was struggling hard to keep down his irritation.  "No. I'd like to see how best the medicine works before I take that decision." I was at my imperious best. He shrugged his shoulders coldly. I couldn't help notice how disgustedly he threw my card aside. So much so for care!

As I was escorted to the pharmacy, I realized he had not given me a prescription. Nor had he asked what I was ailing from in the first instance. Did I really care?  More importantly, did he really care? At the counter, I asked for the prescription,  courteously refused to buy the drops and walked out of the doorway angry and discontented. Did state-of-the-art technology mean getting rid of the rudiments of treatment? Did specialization  mean delegation of jobs to novices? And who said our erstwhile family physicians, a dying breed, without fashionable medical outfits, lacked in care and cure? I could furnish innumerable examples where our family physician, who was also a family friend, had diagnosed the exact nature of ailment without subjecting us to a horde of tests and successfully revived us to good health? They had held our hands, spent sleepless nights by our bedside through critical phases and thanked God profusely when the worst was over. Were they less efficient? Did they lack in knowledge and precision? No, their only cause of extinction is that they took their profession and their pledge to serve humanity too seriously.

Today when education and medical care have deteriorated to commercial ventures, even caring, which should go hand in hand with treatment, has become a commodity. By tagging Personal Care with Medical Treatment, an attempt is made to package the latter more attractively in a bid to escalate its saleability. While the two are complimentary to and supplementary for each other, it is  deliberate and downright mercenary to extricate one from the other and pretend to provide both together as something additional  and personalized to the ailing  for a higher consideration. Though regrettable yet we have to accept the hard fact that we are surviving in a culture of commodification, where a few are thriving at the expense of many. However, more pitiable and lamentable is the situation where business flourishes on fake promises and the customers are duped in broad daylight.

Vasan Eye Care has graduated into a reputed brand name. Its branches are mushrooming in every locality. On one hand, it is laudable that the brand owners are making specialized eye care available at every door step. On the other hand, it is as much essential to ensure that the expected services are not maligned by a handful of franchisees who are willfully misusing the brand name for easy gains. I wish we do have ready-at-hand professional services for all and sundry 24x7 but it should be worth what it professes to be and not a mere eyewash.

Be Healthy Be Happy!