On 08/19/14 12:21 pm, Mark Lloyd wrote:

I've been in the doctor's waiting room when there were more salesmen
than patients.

Parking lot's always full and I suggested to one that the salesmen
should be bussed in to make room for patients' parking.

He was not amused.

I can remember waiting 2 hours to see a doctor. Drug salesmen never
waited more than about 5 minutes.

I haven't noticed such signs in the new medical facility that houses a
score or more of doctors, but in our doctor's former facility a sign
announced that representatives would be seen only between certain hours
on one particular day -- I don't recall now whether it was a particular
day every week or less frequently than that.

BTW, in addition to doctors being bombarded by mail and in-person
marketing by the drug industry, they are also bombarded by patients
wanting them to prescribe the latest thing they've seen advertised on
TV. I have read that the USA and New Zealand are the only countries that
permit TV advertising of prescription-only medications.

Perce