Do my Patients Have the Right of Way?

Healing begins when a patient feels seen, not just examined

- Dr Zubair Saleem

On my way to the clinic each morning, I pass a modest Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) billboard that reads: “Pedestrians Have the Right of Way.”

It’s one of those city signs we all see but rarely reflect upon. But that day, I paused. Not literally, I didn’t halt traffic, but mentally, something made me stop. I kept thinking about the phrase: “the right of way.” Who grants it? Who deserves it? And what happens when it’s denied?

By the time I reached my clinic, that thought had shape-shifted. I suddenly found myself asking: Do my patients have the right of way?

Of course, the analogy was imperfect. But it stayed with me. I couldn’t ignore the parallel between a pedestrian crossing through chaotic roads and a patient passing through pain, uncertainty and often a health system that feels indifferent. Just like on the roads, patients, especially those who are vulnerable, poor, elderly or voiceless, are often denied space, priority, dignity.

That morning, as I opened my OPD door and saw a frail elderly woman adjusting the scarf on her head with trembling fingers, I realized the answer was yes. Yes, patients do have the right of way—not just to be treated, but to be seen, to be heard, to be respected.

But that truth, I've come to believe, only holds when we see a patient not as a customer—but as a human being who is suffering.

More Than a Case File