Trivandrum doctor help

A

agantuk

Forerunner
Hi! We are looking to get an appointment at KIMS with Dr. Rajesh (rheumatologist) and need suggestions and help on how to get something sooner than February.

We were told we could wait at the walk in starting at 6am and hope we are in the first 20 he sees everyday, but for a person already in pain, that's a lot.

1. Should we just pay someone to wait for us and they can let us know if and when we have an appointment?
2. Does anyone here have some social capital they are willing to spend on an internet stranger to get us on his schedule through a proper appointment, sooner, like late December?

Thank you!
 
Bro where in Trivandrum are you? This is fairly common for high demand doctors.
You (not the patient) has to come early in the morning to get into the walk-in booking queue, the earlier the better stand in line to get the token like you would at a tatkal counter. Get a token and then go to the op and see the token movement. The department staff will be able to give you an estimate of when the doctor will see the patient and the patient will need to come only then. If it's too late then discard the token and show up even earlier to get a better position in line the next day. No experience at kims but have done this at prs and cosmo

Just saw this part
. Should we just pay someone to wait for us and they can let us know if and when we have an appointment?

Yes, if you have someone you use to do errands, pay them. Worst case daily rate for a bystander is 1500
 
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greenhorn said:
Bro where in Trivandrum are you? This is fairly common for high demand doctors.
You (not the patient) has to come early in the morning to get into the walk-in booking queue, the earlier the better stand in line to get the token like you would at a tatkal counter. Get a token and then go to the op and see the token movement. The department staff will be able to give you an estimate of when the doctor will see the patient and the patient will need to come only then. If it's too late then discard the token and show up even earlier to get a better position in line the next day. No experience at kims but have done this at prs and cosmo

Just saw this part
. Should we just pay someone to wait for us and they can let us know if and when we have an appointment?

Yes, if you have someone you use to do errands, pay them. Worst case daily rate for a bystander is 1500
Click to expand...
I am in Paravankunnu. We are new to the state and still trying to figure things out.

It's good to know that the patient does not have to come in ahead of time. Are they able to provide an ETA at least an hour in advance, accounting for commute time?
 
@agantuk Maybe look into finding out if this doctor has a private clinic somewhere, they almost always do. Also, you can stay at a nearby hotel.

There is a shortage of highly qualified/experienced specialists that are available for the general public. A visit to my cardiologist takes a few hours each time despite him being a family friend.

Money or influence have no bearing in situations like these. We've found that the specialists that are swayed by those things aren't very good to begin with.

It's the same system even at some diagnostic centers, take a token and wait your turn, just for a simple blood test. We did that once, it was just few hundred but it was done professionally. The next time, we went to a super posh place to save time and paid 3x for the same blood test? The phlebotomist there turned the arm into a blueberry muffin, they just lacked the proper expertise.

The harshest truth with medicine in India is that there's no guarantee you get better care if you pay more. You'll see nicer flooring, larger rooms, and maybe have a cafe nearby but that's about it.
 
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Paravankunnu seems closer than even i am. Distance wise farther but you're Bang on the nh. I would have to endure city traffic to get there that would take longer.
The staff will give an estimate with some buffer. You'll need to understand that it's an estimate and not a commitment. They're just making a guess based on experience. Things may move faster or slower. You being 15 minutes away certainly helps things. Book the appointment. Go and sweet talk the department reception staff, explain your situation, and I'm sure you'll be able to work out a deal. If they're not cooperative ask for and see a PRO (that's their customer service folks). It helps immensely to have someone there f2f than coordinating over phone.

Like rsaeon said the really good specialists have really long wait times. Had this experience with dad's neurologist, and my cardiologist who was actually my third opinion. My US doc said my meds weren't working as wanted to treat me for depression. The first cardio I said in India said the same thing and got me into some antidepressants that almost ruined my life. Thankfully i had a third opinion with a cardio for whom I had to go at 6 in the morning, stand in line, get an early slot in the walk in queue and then go back at 9 when op started and finally got the doctor to see me at 12, another 3 hours for a bunch of tests, and switched me to a different medication and my bp became normal overnight. This was 3 years ago and I've been doing fine ever since
 
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Thank you @greenhorn and @rsaeon for respectfully and helpfully responding to my query.

We are gonna try the token route and see how things go. I also appreciate the pointers on the travel time and the reminder about expensive not necessarily being better

To the other person who was sarcastic, no comments.
 
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