was at the hospital today to receive my results for the mri test and i have to say that i was served by the most resilient and patient nurses i have ever seen.

it just so happened that the computer system was down. so everything had to be done manually; appointments had to be scheduled later when the system was up and running again, registration took twice as long because the nurses had to handwrite everything down and records had to be brought down from storage because they could not access the records online.

and with an unbelievable number of people in casts and in wheelchairs or crutches, it looked as if we were in a war.

you would think that the patients would understand the level of stress and pressure that the nurses, who were already visibly working their bums off, were in, but they clearly didnt. and even if they understood, they didnt care and impatience consumed them.

people just kept going up to the counter and saying stuff like: 'i have been waiting for half and hour already and i have not even been registered to see the doctor yet' or 'why is it taking so long' and 'how long more do i have to wait? i have been waiting for quite some time already', and all in impatient tones.

one guy even said this, 'i have been waiting for half an hour already. my appointment is at 11'. i looked at my watch at realised that it was about 1105. i mean c'mon, with the state that the clinic was in, do you think that you'd be served exactly at 11? i mean give the women some slack!

even when the nurses apologised and explained when they finally got to them, the lot didnt even acknowledge this. it was quite frustrating. i mean they are doing their best to serve you already and with the system down and all, what else can they do?

are we singaporeans so impatient and why do we not even try to understand what the people behind the counter are going through. their work is already piled up to the ceiling, the least we can do is just grit our teeth and wait. sure you may wait a while, but seriously, what did you expect? to be served right on the dot? bloody ridiculous.

the nurses however were wonderful. they did not even bat an eyelid when people compained. they just took it in their stride and carried on. i'm sure all of them were stressed and if given a chance, would anesthetize the problem makers in a heart beat, because they were clearly irritated, even though they did not show it.

the patience and hardwork the nurses put in was incredible. that my friends is professionalism.