OPINION :HOW MUCH SHOULD THIS DOCTOR BE PAID?
The following story may be true, partly true or just a figment of my imagination:
A distraught parent rushes into the hospital (a private hospital) screaming for help that her toddler is dying, the doctor rushes to her side and asks what the problem is, the parent tearfully says that her child kept some peanuts up his nostril which suddenly lodged and blocked the passage, now the child is unable to breathe and the peanut/s can’t be removed.
The doctor looks at the poor child who is already turning blue and tells the parent that it would be a complex procedure but they may be lucky and the cost would be 100,000 Naira (about 550 dollars);the distraught parent says :’Doctor please remove it and I will pay anything you want!
The doctor calmly looks at the child going blue, looks into his nostril and picks a little forcep, in 2 seconds, he has removed the peanuts from the nostril.
The amazed parent jumps for joy and hugs the doctor.
The doctor then asks for his 100k payment.
The parent looks at him and says, ‘Doctor, 100k for what? What special thing did you do?’
My Question:
Should the parent pay the 100k?
Was the doctor just greedy?
How much should the parent pay if not the 100k?
Should they re-negotiate the fee?
If you were the parent what would you do?
If you were the doctor, what would you do?
The parent should pay. Her child could have died.
The doctor took advantage of parents in a non negotiable position. That makes him greedy. The parents should pay since they agreed to the price believing their child's life is worth more than that amount.
I would pay up.
Two posts in two days! Excellent!
Doc should be shot at dawn for taking advantage of parents fears for the life of their child.
Complex procedure – bah. Sticking forceps up the nostrils is not complex at all.
100,000 Nairi would work out as £327.36 (UK) and is daylight robbery for 2 seconds work.
Surely a doctors vocation is that of to heal – not to rob.
If I were that doctor
– I would have waived the fee. For what price a child's life?
Anna :o]
Thanks Vicky, hope you drop by more often.
Thanks Jyte, maybe the doctor may not have expected the procedure to go so easily, I'm only guessing.
Thanks Anna, maybe I may have greatly exaggerated the fee:)