“No Appointments for a Week”: Indian Woman in New Zealand Seeks Doctor for Child With 10-Day Cough

An Indian woman Akriti Jaiswal Srivastava said she could not get a doctor’s appointment for her child, Kevith, after his cough continued for 10 days. She said she called on a Thursday expecting to get the child checked, only to be told that there were no appointments available for the next week. The slot she was offered was for the following Wednesday. She later visited an after-hours clinic but said it was already full.

Indian woman Akriti Jaiswal Srivastava, who lives in New Zealand, shared her experience of struggling to get a doctor’s appointment for her child. She said she initially waited to see whether the cough would improve, partly because she felt doctors in New Zealand generally do not prescribe medicines as readily as doctors in India.

India Today reported that Srivastava said the experience made her think about the difficulty of finding medical care for children in New Zealand. She took her child to an after-hours clinic, where walk-in patients are usually seen.

The clinic was overly crowded that a notice outside informed patients, “We are sorry but we are at capacity and unable to take any more patients tonight.” This left her unable to get the immediate medical consultation she was seeking for her child.

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Akriti said the experience made her appreciate the accessibility of healthcare in India, particularly the ability to find a doctor, clinic or hospital relatively quickly. Her comparison was primarily about speed and ease of access, rather than a claim that Indian doctors or hospitals necessarily provide better medical treatment.

According to Hindustan Times, Srivastava advised Indian families moving to New Zealand with children to be prepared for differences in healthcare access.

Her comments sparked mixed reactions online. One person said they had faced a similar situation in London, claiming they once waited more than five and a half hours to be seen by doctors for a consultation that lasted only a few minutes. Others agreed with Srivastava's experience, with several saying they had faced long waits for appointments and treatment in other countries too.

The overall incident does not establish the very fact that New Zealand has inferior doctors, worse healthcare outcomes or that all patients face week-long waits. Similarly, it does not establish that India has better healthcare overall.

However, for Akriti Jaiswal Srivastava, the experience came down to a concern familiar to any parent; wanting to see a doctor when a child is unwell, without having to wait days for a slot.

(Rh/TP)