A patient who had an appointment for 9am called the centre to say he would be late. He arrived at about 9.32am. I told him there were three patients ahead of him and that he would need to wait a while. He became agitated and repeatedly berated me. He said he already felt bad about being late, yet still had to wait. He even said that if he had to wait any longer, he would not let the physician give him acupuncture. He continued scolding me for about ten minutes. I did not argue with him. After his consultation, he apologised to other staff members. I was still upset at the time and chose to stay in the staff room rather than accept his apology.
The incident left me feeling hurt and unfairly treated. At the time, it felt like being slapped and then offered a sweet: a subsequent act of kindness cannot immediately erase the hurt already inflicted. As someone in a service role, I am willing to keep learning how to handle different people and situations more calmly. But I also hope we can establish boundaries based on mutual respect when providing care. Compassion and tolerance do not mean having to endure every unreasonable remark in silence. They mean learning to respect others while also looking after our own emotional well-being.
A centre that offers free medical consultations contributes more than time and expertise. It also commits manpower, resources and energy, along with a genuine desire to help others. We act out of goodwill, hoping to ease people's burdens and help those in need. Yet some people not only fail to appreciate this, but take it for granted. When someone receives help, they can choose to be grateful or regard it as an entitlement. Once people become accustomed to others doing things for them, they may gradually forget that this help is itself an act of goodwill. Offering free consultations reflects our willingness to give; it does not oblige us to meet everyone's demands unconditionally. Free care still has costs, and it does not mean abandoning our principles. Some people may genuinely be in difficult circumstances, or may behave poorly because of illness, anxiety or the pressures of daily life. We can understand their difficulties, but that does not mean we must accept disrespectful treatment. A free clinic can have a defined scope of services, procedures and principles. We have a responsibility to do our best to provide professional care, but that does not mean every patient's every demand must be met.
Of course, we can examine the reasons behind complaints objectively. If there are genuine areas for improvement, we should address them. If a complaint arises simply because an unreasonable demand was not met, we need not dismiss the value of our efforts. Kindness, too, needs boundaries. We should do our utmost to provide the services we offer, politely decline requests beyond our capacity, and not feel obliged to keep giving in to unreasonable behaviour. We cannot simply ask kind people to keep putting up with such treatment, nor should we regard everyone who complains as unreasonable. What we should strive for is this: people in need receive the care they deserve; those willing to help receive the respect they deserve; legitimate complaints are addressed; and clear boundaries are set on unreasonable demands.
That is the balance a society should strike.
