Privacy does not exist in Spain. It doesn’t cease to amaze me how indifferent organizations and official persons are concerning sensitive information. A handful of examples from these past months:
- Coincidentally the doctor was at the receptionists’ desk when somebody phoned about a test result. Those were not discussed in the solitud of the consulting room, but for everybody to hear. And it wasn’t the best news that the doctor had to bring.
- The bank does not have separate rooms. When you want to discuss your money matters you have to do it at the desk of the available consultant with everybody walking past or interrupting with questions.
- The same goes for the town hall. The waiting area is right next to the desk of the civil servant. Are you having difficulties with anything? Too bad, the rest of world will hear all your ins and outs.
- At the notary some kind of mediation process was in full bloom in the corridor by lack of enough rooms.
This morning at the doctor’s this open-door policy was taken literally. Despite the cold (it was still early morning and then it really is cold) not one door was closed by the persons going through. Keeping every waiting person in a draught. Making us remark dryly: Ah, this is also a way to not just have patients, but keep them patients as well. 🙂
^hm