The Garden Medical Center

Don’t waste your time. Took my 1 year old daughter here for pink eye since there was an outbreak at her daycare and her eye was full of green puss. The bald male doctor walked in and immediately said it was viral pink eye not bacterial and couldn’t give me eye drops and I was like how can you tell? Her eye is red and has green puss coming out and he says “because I went to medical school” then proceeds to tell me that I shouldn’t be sending my child to daycare and it’s a cess pool of viruses, like thanks sir not all of us are doctors and can afford a nanny. Two days go by and she woke up this morning her second eye swollen shut now with puss and took her to another walk in at whitby mall who immediately said it was bacterial conjunctivitis and that she needs antibiotic eye drops. Waste of two days that she could have been getting better over a sloppy misdiagnosis! Do better

The doctor najwa el bawab is horribly bad, she’s incompetent, has a temper and make the patient feel uncomfortable, doesn’t show any empathy and keeps interrupting patient while talking! She definitely is in the wrong place because she clearly hates the contact with people and her job! Will not recommend this place to anyone!

Dr Paul use to be my family doctor. He has left the office and finding a new doctor is almost impossible. Apparently because of this I cannot get blood work done there. Horrible procedure as I've been coming here for the last few years. Somebody fix our health care system. Won't be coming back to this place.

First and last time at this Clinic. I went for a foreign object in my eye (very swollen eye) and an irritated throat. The doctor came in, didn't introduce himself by name. Took a flash light and looked very quickly with his eyes at my eye (not a scope or anything type of magnification) and told me that there was nothing in my eye and it was a sty and allergies. I have had a bad scratch before and you clearly can feel when some thing is in your eye. He asked if I wear contacts or eye makeup after he looked at my eye. If he looked at my eye properly he would have seen mascara. He never looked at my throat. Very quick wait time, I am assuming because patients do not return. I would NOT recommend.

I wish I could leave a review with zero stars. This must be the reason I walked into this clinic today at 4: 15 and was the only person there. I have been having pain in my abdomen and putting it off. This morning I went to ask for a urine dip test at another clinic and they said they don’t do it but gave me antibiotics. I went to Garden Medical after work because I wanted to do the urine dip test before beginning a course of antibiotics unnecessarily. Dr El Mowab came in the room and I began to explain how I was feeling and mid sentence she said, “THEN WHY ARE YOU HERE? ” And I said because I don’t want to take antibiotics for no reason. She did not respond. After a few minutes she said “just to let you know, OHIP doesn’t pay for two visits in one day so now one of the doctors won’t get paid. ” I told her that I was sorry and that I didn’t know about that rule. Her behaviour was so shocking and disappointing to see in a doctor. I understand that her concern was getting paid but I don’t believe that entitles her to disrespect people who are at their most vulnerable, seeking her help and care. Typically, patients go to a doctor when they are worried about themselves. And typically, they expect to be treated by a professional who is there to help them.

I called the clinic to find out who I could talk to about my experience and the receptionist said “I don’t know, sorry. ” I asked her to find out. She put me on hold and came back and said “there is no one to speak to about a complaint. I’ve never encountered a clinic that cares less about their patients.

Great walk-in clinic. You are hard pressed to find friendly staff in Ontario public health settings but this clinic is an exception. My physician visit was thorough, I did not feel rushed and my medical needs were met.

This clinic never picks up the phone. Attempted to book an appointment for over a month and despite all the voicemails I leave I never get a call back.

Dr. Khalil and his medical secretary Stephanie have been very kind every time I have a question, it's usually thru e-mail.

Another great doctor! There is a lot of respect for patients there.many thank youssssss -)

I am very appreciative of the lady working at the front desk this morning. The doctor was prompt and attentive to my health concerns.
Thank you all for a positive experience!

Open till 7 but refused a walk in at 6 with not one other person in the store, for a child.

Quite possibly the worst medical office. Reception is useless & the doctors have no idea what they’re doing. Dr. Humaid refused to give me a referral for an ultrasound & mammogram as she said i was too young to have any issues, after seeking help elsewhere, it turns out she was absolutely wrong. Another phone appointment I booked to get her to refill my birth control, she read me another patient’s chart thinking it was mine, which after multiple attempts to stop her from continuing she asked me to stop interrupting her… When she finally finished I let her know again I only asked for a birth control refill and she just read me another woman’s personal information. She laughed it off and literally said “oh my gosh, my mistake”. I don’t think the pharmacy is immediately apart of the medical centre but they’re just as condescending and dumb too. They’d lie and say I collected my prescriptions already when I clearly did not and be so rude to me about it. On multiple occasions this happened so I switched pharmacies. Now thank God Ms. Humaid isn’t there anymore, she does not deserve to have a license to practice but Dr. Bailey is just as bad. I would recommend you go ANYWHERE else besides this joke of a medical office.

Would give zero stars if I could. Went to book a physical, only to find out my family DR doesn't practice there any more? Did not receive any type of communication and now cannot get a hold of anyone. Worst customer service I have ever received.

Had a good experience here or my first visit. Saw the lady doctor I didn't take her name but she was very prompt, professional and the front desk clerk was very nice too. I will go back there again! Walk in clinics are getting more scarce in Durham so when you find a good one, appreciate it.

DISGUSTING SERVICE. ITS THESE TYPE OF PEOPLE WHO COME TO CANADA AND TAKE THE SYSTEM FOR GRANTED. DO NOT GO HERE!

If there was zero star, that’s what this clinic is deserving of. Poor ethics is an understatement. There’s a reason this clinic never has wait times. Worth waiting at another clinic

Receptionist's are literally useless, I have no issue with my family doctor at all. Every time I call, It's something ranging from either not answering, being put on hold, or busy tones. The services itself isn't bad, when you can actually talk to someone.

Stay far away, tried calling all morning long and they would not answer or kept putting me on hold and then hang up

Have a pictures of over 60 calls and this was because they wouldn’t let me bring my daughter in because she had a cough

I used to be a patient of Dr Humaid and im glad i found a new family doctor that can take care of basic needs and has an awesome bedside manner. This clinic has a NO FAX policy which is completely not right. They do this so you go back and they can bill OHIP as much as they can. Dr Humaid is horrible. I had to go above her head many many times to get an xray for things or bloodwork. Half the time, even with findings on an xray, she didn't believe you. She always would say she would do something such as a referral, but never ended up doing it. Dr Humaid should not be practicing. Furthermore, the front desk staff are by far some of the most unprofessional medical staff i have ever met. They need to all be fired or retrained. They never answer the phone or put you on an indefinite hold. Thank god i'm not part of this clinic anymore and i hope more people see the writing on the wall and leave these doctors too.

Absolutely love Dr Mirza and his team. They are kind, courteous and extremely efficient during walk ins and appointments. I do think they need someone to only handle the phone lines as it’s frustrating when you call directly. For the most part our family is very happy with the clinic.

THANK YOU to the entire staff for all that you do to help others!

In multiple walk-in visits this week I found all the medical receptionist to be very, attentive, communicative and helpful.

In one of my visits on Sunday morning it was very busy - but the medical receptionist managed it all with kindness, calmness and professionalism. Even though she was the only person manning the front desk and faced a large line of patients (coming, going, waiting with inquiries) phone calls, and many other tasks to juggle.

Dr. Najwa El Bawab attended to me and was very attentive and efficient. Busy walk-in periods require a delicate balance - providing the right level of care and attention to each patient, while being mindful of the wait times of many other patients waiting to see a doctor. Keeping in mind this context - I think D El Bawab was great! I appreciate that she was willing to engage in dialogue to understand the history/background, then proceeded to provide a prescription, and advised me to come back in 3 days if things do not start to improve. It gave me a sense of reassurance and what to do next.

Thank you also to Dr. Paul for finding the right balance between listening to the patient and then being firm/logical.

Overall the clinic is clean and appears organized. It’s incredibly convenient that the prescriptions can be faxed directly to your pharmacy of choice or the one located a few steps away from the waiting room. In one occasion I used the in office pharmacy - the pharmacist was also very kind.

The process to see a doctor is very simple. Note - Not all days are in person walk-in, but the phone consultation timelines is always honoured. It would be amazing to have a few more in-person walk-in days as it can sometimes me challenging to assess a situation over the phone. However I understand this may not always be feasible in current times.

Hoping to be better soon.

Had a really good experience yesterday on my first walk in visit. Front desk staff was very friendly and courteous. Dr. Mirza was caring and listened me patiently. Lab staff is also very welcoming and professional. I truly appreciate doctors and staff of this clinic for providing health care services in person while many family doctors are still out of reach.

Doctor working on 7th Sept 2022 evening shift refused to take patients at 6: 30 PM itself, clinic closes at 8PM. Staff mentioned "doctor has decided not to see patients anymore". There was only one more patient sitting in the lobby. Whe. Asked further about the reasoning, they repeated the same statement and hence no axtual reason. Can they just pack their bags and go home as they wish? This didn't happen for the first time. Management should look into doctor/staff punctuality and work ethics.

Usually good, but not today.walked over on my break i forgot to bring a mask and they told me walk to the dollar store to get one like huh you guys don’t have an extra i can have? Lied to my face saying they didn’t have one i had to walk back to my work in the heat just to grab a mask. Wasted my whole break just to not be seen Thanks guys really appreciate it! Funny how my store has boxes of disposables but you don’t have a single mask what a joke.

The worst place ever never answer phone doesn't have respect for kids. I've tried to call then for hours just put u on hold for hours than hung up the phone.

I visited the clinic at 2pm, receptionist said doctor cannot see my 6 year old daughter in person because she had runny nose and fever, BUT if after phone consultation the doctor needs to see in person and hear her chest then she will call us to come in.

I agreed to this and was promised to receive a call before 7pm. I didn’t get a call, so I called the office at 7 pm and was told dr will call in 30-45 min. Dr calls after an hour at 8 and says that because of the symptoms she cannot hear her chest and cannot have her come in person either, and to take my daughter to ER where they will listen to her chest.

They could have just told me this at 2 pm instead of making us wait 6 hours.

If you are not seeing patients with runny nose and fever, and refuse to hear their chest in person then just say that and advise patients initially to visit ER. But of course, they need to make their money for pay per visit/telemedicine no matter if they can provide the care or not.

Their service was great, I went on a Monday morning at 9am and was in and out by 10am! Quick, accurate and friendly service.

Worst clinic.
I needed hearing aids the technician from the hearing clinic faxed forms over two weeks ago. The day before I was suppose to pick up my hearing aids the clinic still never heard back from Garden medical Center with the forms! Two weeks it takes to sign forms? Garden medical said they would call me the night before for a phone conciliation which is fine. They call let it ring once and hang up just like the past times I’ve had phone conversations with them. And you call back and no answer. So now day of my appointment I can’t pick up my hearing aids because the doctor still didn’t sign the forms. I went to my hearing aid appointment because the clinic was Promised the dr would call them by 10: 00! 10: 00 rolls around nothing, 10: 30 rolls around still no call. I decided to call them to find out sorry Doctor got busy. Can you come in.now I have waisted the hearing dr time, my time and gas, for a form that should of been filled out 2 weeks ago… and I wish this was the first complaint with this office but it definitely is not. Not happy.

Worst and terrible experience ever. Receptionists need to be retrained. One lady doing blood work was behaving like. When I ask concerns she was not even listning and she wanted to shout at me actually. This particular lady need a training (how to behave with patients (like me) ). Btw, doctors are awsome

Dr.humaid gave me and my wife the worst experience with a doctor. We have a new family doctor because of the lack of care she was showing for my autistic daughters needs, she was very rude with me and my wife after she saw my wife's reveiw here and told us we should find a new doctor.the new doctor we have is amazing and contradicted everything she said.

Absolutely pathetic service. I called earlier today to confirm till what time the walk in is open and was told that it's open until 7pm. I even told them that my son is hurt and I need someone to see him and the receptionist assured me that I could come until 7pm.
Came at 5.30 only to be told that they closed the walk in for the day and that I should go to the ER now.
Receptionist was very rude and said well that's why hospitals are there you know.
Only because our family doctor is nice we come here otherwise I would never come to this place!

So disgusting here! The dr looks annoyed when you have a question or concern and nudges it off… I’ve been coming here since I’ve moved to the area but the staff that are now here are just disgusting and very ignorant and rude! I won’t be coming back here!

I’ve had an overall good experience with the doctors there, Dr. Mirza is very sweet and friendly and takes the time to listen. The experience I’ve had with some (not all of them) the receptions have not been as good. I understand that it can get very busy and dealing with sometimes difficult people on the phone isn’t fun at all, but a smile and a more friendly approach would be greatly appreciated. It also feels more like business (money money money) than a health care facility.

More negative experiences than positive at this clinic for the past 2 years. Nobody picks up the phones and when they do they put you on hold for half an hour. I made an appointment few weeks ago and was told I would get a call from the doctor between 11am to 5pm - nobody called me. I called back at 6pm and was put on hold. Front desk needs some serious improvement. Wait time are on and off, sometimes you're waiting for 30 mins and other times more than an hour. Doctors are professional but rushed during appointments. Don't really take the time to connect with their clients.

I can now understand why this place has a poor rating. Booked an appointmemt with the doctor and they give you an appointment time and do not inform you there is a 4 hour gap time for an appointment.

The front desk staff are rude and you can clearly see they are not working. I walked into the clinic to see the front desk staff put a customer on hold for them to have a 5 min conversation with each other. Never seen unprofessional service at a doctors location.

Why give a phone appointment forna meet and greet if you cannot maintain the schedule.

I’ve been with Dr Mona Biely for about 1.5 years now. And I’m very happy with the care I receive. She’s very understanding, super glad to have her as my family doctor! I also, have absolutely no issue with the receptionists here. I find them to be pretty sweet too.

Taking an appointment is a task- but since they started phone appointments that’s been easier to schedule in. Alternatively- I just go on Thursdays cause I know Dr Biely works every Thursday and that way I don’t have to schedule an appointment.
Sometimes it’s a bit of a wait, and sometimes it’s literally in and out.

Overall the place is nice and big, and gives me a good vibe.

Do not recommend, Dr Beily is very conservative and often made me feel like my concerns are not valid. It often took 3 appointments to address the concern I originally came in for. Since switching family doctors the care has been night and day, very happy I moved on. Do not recommend for younger women.

Staff is friendly, my doctor listens to my issues and makes suggestions. There is 0 to 3 people waiting whenever I go. Bloodwork can be done on site.

Believe the low ratings. My last straw was when my son had a booked telephone appointment to get results within a 2 hour range. Dr.never called and we had to follow up with the office to be told that he was running behind and we were in queue. Hours later we called back and told we were still in queue and that he will call before close. Nothing for the rest of the day. We learned the next day when calling in the morning that he was sick and having internet problems and to just come in for walk-in to be told everything is fine (thank goodness)

My son wasted a whole day of work waiting since he cannot take phone calls while working. I mean, you have an office and staff for a reason. USE IT! If you are going to be later or unable to make the scheduled appointmet, at least have staff call to inform your appointments instead of making up some BS story and told to wait.

Also, if results are negative or fine, why not just call the person and tell them? But NO, take every opportunity to bill the system and waste people’s time.

Avoid this office if unless you need a simple prescription for an antibiotic or something. Seems that this is all they are qualified for. Hopefully, the reviews itself will shed some light.

Disclaimer… This was not meant to reference the female DR that works there. I don’t know how she is.

I've been trying to call and make an appointment for the last two weeks. All my calls go straight to a busy signal, not even the option to leave a voice-mail. This is just the most recent issue. There have been several.

All the receptionists here need to be retrained or let go… I have called and booked an appointment with my doctor then taken a day off work to show up, only to find out my doctor never worked on that day. I was told I’d get a phone consultation, but when I called after the doctor missed my time slot, they had no record of me ever booking a phone consult. I have tried calling all day to book an appointment and can never get through. I have been put on hold for upwards of 20mins just to get hung up on, and when I called back, I just got a “User Busy” on my phone and the call failed. It’s so frustrating!

I’ve been trying to schedule a phone appointment with my family doctor at the clinic for weeks; however, they never pick up the phone or return voice messages. I’ve even tried the email function on their website and nothing. It’s extremely frustrating and would not recommend this clinic to anyone.

Very disappointed in every employee I have dealt with. Pharmacist was not wearing a mask, and carried on joking with co-workers while my prescription was ready and I waited.

Receptionist asked the reason for my visit aloud in front of others, totally unprofessional and embarrassing.

Doctor was standoffish and treated me as though I was an alien because I had a sore throat, and further stated, “because of Covid-19 we can’t help you and you must go to a hospital”. Funny how this doctor can’t even do the bare minimum no duty of care here. If you have a cold, or any other issue, don’t waste your time they won’t help you.

Friendly staff and a good doctor. Not easy to run a clinic in such a budget constrained environment courtesy of provincial government.

Receptionist couldnt answer simple questions such as how I can become a patient at the clinic. Doctor was no help. Just left