Punjab doctor shares patient's wild excuse after being asked to pay consultation fee

A Punjab-based doctor shared how a couple tried to frame a treatment query as a casual conversation to avoid a consultation fee. The exchange triggered a debate over when asking about a procedure becomes a paid medical consultation.Punjab doctor shares patient’s wild excuse after being asked to pay consultation fee (Photos: @dr.prabhleen.unfiltered/Instagram)A Punjab-based doctor shared how people come up with the most unexpected excuses to avoid paying a consultation fee, including one man who claimed he only wanted to have a "small chat" with the doctor after being told that he would have to pay for a consultation.Prabhleen Kaur, a doctor working at a clinic in Mohali, shared the incident in a video on Instagram, where she explained how the seemingly simple request eventually turned into an argument over consultation fees.In the video, she appeared on camera and narrated what had happened at the clinic.She explained that a woman had initially walked into the clinic and told the staff that she wanted to meet the doctor to discuss laser treatment. The staff informed her that speaking with the doctor about a treatment would amount to a consultation and that she would therefore have to pay the consultation fee. The woman was, however, unhappy with the response and left the clinic.Prabhleen said she returned a few minutes later, this time accompanied by her husband. The woman's husband then approached the staff and said he wanted to meet the doctor simply to ask how he was doing and have a small conversation with him. The staff asked whether he knew the doctor personally, but he said that he did not and maintained that he only wanted to talk to him.When the staff again told him that he could meet the doctor after paying the consultation fee, the man questioned why he should be charged for what he described as "small talk."Prabhleen Kaur said the staff pointed out that the conversation would likely also involve discussing the laser treatment, given that his wife had already come to the clinic for that purpose. The man did not deny that treatment would eventually be discussed.The doctor said she found it ironic that people were willing to spend money on several other things but often questioned the need to pay a doctor for their professional time and expertise.Watch the video here:The incident started a detailed discussion online about whether patients should be charged when they only want to ask about the price of a procedure.Some users argued that there was a distinction between asking for the cost of a treatment and seeking medical advice. One user said that if a person only wanted to know the price of a procedure and was not seeking treatment or medical guidance, they should not necessarily have to pay a consultation fee.Others, however, supported the doctor's point and said that people often appeared reluctant to pay for professional consultations despite readily spending money on other services and products.Several people also compared medical consultations with services such as astrology and palm reading, arguing that people were often willing to pay for those services while questioning doctors' fees.- EndsPublished By: Yashna TalwarPublished On: Aug 11, 2026 14:02 IST