Keeping Eyes Open

I'm at the Singapore National Eye Centre writing this. My mum's gone into the operating theatre for her second cataract operation and I have been assigned by the family to spend my afternoon here. This gives me the rare opportunity to take stock of the situation 'live' and like all duitiful Singaporeans, complain. I pay taxes what.

Number one, after we went up to level 2 and waited 5 minutes at the big sign that read 'Registration', the nice lady inside the room came told us "Operation ah? Go through the glass door and turn left." Did it look like we were tourists? Why can't they simply put up a simple sign and not waste my half-day's leave? Goodness.

Number two. My mum's got an appoinment for her surgery. So one would expect a more logical system in handling the crowd waiting to be served.

(break) A guy just came up to me to ask if this was the Heart Centre. (end break)

There is a box instead. Drop your appointment card in but we have a list of scheduled appointments, so don't expect to be called first, or something like that. If there's a list of scheduled appointments, why have a box for cards? Shouldn't there be a list of names to be called out or displayed instead? A nurse came to retrieve the cards, opened the box and failed to take my mum's card at the bottom of the translucent box. It was the only other card in the box. Goodness.

Number three. These nurses are a little too nice. In the midst of taking my mum's blood sugar reading, a 'concerned' relative of one of the waiting patients came to ask why the wait was so long. The nurse then stepped away from my mum to explain in quite an extensive degree about the appointment schedule and the doctors on staff, blah blah. What she should have done is ask "Were you here too early? That's what appointments are for. And by the way, you're too young to be taking up space while the elderly are standing around." Goodness.

And last but not least, as I sit here at the ground on a nice, hard wooden bench below the shiny staircase, I realist problem 4. No one really knows where to go. People don't get their eyes fixed regularly so most visitors here aren't quite familiar with the SNEC. 80% of the folks here are old and many don't quite speak English or read signs. But there's no one really helping. People are asking the cleaners where to go. There are also way too many counters that read 'Registration'. One old man has been walking around with too much pride to ask for directions. Couldn't they simply get student volunteers to sit here and tell people where to go? And with all these old folks, why aren't there more wheelchairs around, and people offering them to those with walking sticks? Goodness.

What's worse is that there a huge display in the foyer that showcases the technological advancements the SNEC has introduced to make work for efficient here, like a 'digital boardroom'. Oh my god, people come here to fix their vision, not apply for a job! Get over yourselves, please.