Specialist apt during Covid

Here is how my specialist appointment went last Thursday. 

The referral was made in November 2020 and the appointment was booked in February 2021. 

3 Months wait. 

The appointment is a phone call appointment since its Covid. 

So not even a physical exam. 

The day of the appointment it was booked for 3:15pm

By 4 pm I called the office to inquire about the phone call appointment I never received. 

They said they alot a 3 hour window for the phone call. (!!?!) 

I waited until 7 pm and still did not have a phone call. 

I left a message with their office and also with my family doctor. Inquired about another appointment and if I would need to wait another 3 months for this phone call. 

I got a phone call the next day from the receptionist to tell me that the doctor had an emergency surgery she had to do and could not get to her call and that her rescheduled apt time for me is on Monday when I work. I had to call back to tell them that the time was not good and to schedule during my lunch time. But again they have a 3 hour phone window for that - So I have my own pts booked then. 

What a gong show. I was so livid about this whole ordeal and thought that this would not happen if it was an in person appointment. If this was not a government funded Health care system you would not see this much disregard for appointments and for patients. No where do I see this much disregard for health care booked appointments than in funded physician positions. If you have a physio appointment or a dental appointment or a podiatric appointment there is respect both ways for the times of the practitioner and the patient. And if any "emergency surgery" ever pops up, you will get a phone call to explain the change in appointment, rather than you left with no explanation why you waited 4 hours for nothing at the end of the day. 

What bothers me most is that I have to keep my cool about this because its difficult to rebook or see another specialist and the fact that this specialist is most likely the one doing the surgery. 

I get it, its covid times and things are all messed up. But really to think that there would have been more efficiency if I had an in person booked appointment rather than a phone call is beyond me. You would think that it saves time.