Waiting Times

Am I the only one who is frustrated with the waiting times we are facing at our doctor's offices? My last two appointments at my midwives office I have had to wait over 40 minutes while my midwife walked around the office, returned phone calls and chatted with her colleagues - all without a word of acknowledgment. When she finally did call me in, I had to bring up the fact that she was late (yet again) to which she responded that I would have had to wait much longer at a doctor's office and that if I didn't like it, there were "always alternatives" (ie I could find someone else to deliver my baby). Then she added she was quote unquote sorry but that that it was out of her control and that she could not promise us this would not happen again as this was just the way things were....now this certainly did not sound like much of an apology to me or my husband. We both sat there slightly flabbergasted that she was not only not sincerely apologizing but she was condoning this behavior by herself and all other health professionals. Now I realize that sometimes it will occur that emergencies happen and those in the medical profession cannot always foresee what may come up in a day, but here are my issues with her reaction and her attitude that this was now "the norm".

1) She did not even acknowledge our presence or inform us that she was running behind.
2) She did not appear to be the least bit sorry but appeared to be apologizing to make us feel bad for bringing it up. At one point she told us "What do you want me to say? Its been a busy day."
3) She condoned this behavior by acting as if it were acceptable and normal.
4) She said there was nothing she could do - actually in my opinion, she could a) schedule her appointments further apart to allow time for emergencies and b) she could call and let us know that she was running behind.
5) I do very rarely wait at all at my dentist's office. When I have an appointment at 2pm, I get called in at 2pm. The one time he was late he was profusely apologetic and explained to me that he hated waiting at his own doctor's office and that he would try his best not to let it happen again.

Anyhow, my point is, I do not think long wait times (30 minutes or more) should be accepted as the norm. I think we should let our medical professionals know that our time is as valuable as theirs and that besides trying to manage their time in an appropriate manner, at the very least, we should be offered a sincere apology right upfront without having to ask for it.