Dr Amir Khan is a familiar face on our TV screens (file image) (Image: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
A TV doctor who is regularly seen on our screens offering expert health guidance has made a plea to patients, revealing there are nine things he “does not care about”. Dr Amir Khan is often seen on shows including ITV’s Lorraine and Good Morning Britain, and combines his broadcasting work with his day-to-day work as a GP. Speaking in a TikTok video, Dr Khan revealed one particular habit patients display repeatedly which he hopes they will abandon, reports OK!
He stated: “Can I tell you some things I genuinely do not care about when you come and see me as your GP? Because honestly, honestly, the number of things patients apologise to me for just this week alone.”
He continued: “For example, they say ‘sorry, I haven’t shaved my legs’. I don’t care, I’ve seen hairy legs before.
“Or ‘sorry, my feet or toenails look awful’. I don’t care. If you’ve come to see me about your feet, just show me your feet.
“Or ‘sorry, I haven’t tidied up or shaved down there’. Please, you’re having a medical examination. I am not bothered about anything else.
“Don’t apologise because you’ve put on weight. Don’t apologise, for the love of God, because you’re crying while you’re telling me what your problems are. If you need to cry, cry.
“Don’t apologise because you’ve forgotten what one of your tablets is called. I’ve got a computer, I can look it up.
“And please don’t say things like ‘I’m sorry to waste your time’. You’re not wasting my time. If something is worrying you enough that you’ve made an appointment to come and see me, that’s what I’m here for.”
Dr Khan went on to encourage patients not to feel embarrassed about disclosing their medical concerns, explaining: “I promise you, whatever you’re about to tell me, there is a very, very good chance I’ve heard it before.
“Bodies bleed, they leak, they smell, they make noises at deeply inconvenient moments, they grow lumps and rashes and hairs in places you’re not expecting. That’s what being human is all about. So you don’t need to apologise for any of it.
“You don’t have to apologise for not coming in sooner either. You’re here now.
“Maybe you were frightened. Maybe life got in the way. Maybe you were hoping it would just go away. Maybe you weren’t ready to talk about it. Doesn’t matter. You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”
In closing, Dr Khan emphasised: “Do you know what I do care about? The only real thing I care about is that you feel able to tell me what’s really going on.
“Because the thing you might be embarrassed about might actually be really important, and I can’t help something you feel too ashamed to tell me. So come as you are, cry if you need to, don’t shave anything on my account, and please stop apologising for just being a patient.
“You’re not an inconvenience. You’re literally the reason I’m here.”
