This review is negative not because of malpractice or medical incompetence by the doctors, but rather a complete lack of empathy and support for individuals and families that need assistance in times of sickness (for the walk-in). My latest experience with them was for my 14month old who had a persistent fever, cough and congestion, yet they refused to let me bring him in. Instead, I was told to wait for a doctor to call and do a phone call appointment instead of immediately doing a physical exam. I believe this policy was first introduced during the early months of the pandemic when there was great fear and yet, with all the advancements & measures being removed across the province, nothing changes within this clinic. I'm incredibly frustrated and disappointed as I am now forced to go to a hospital when this is 100% within the realm of family medicine. Our healthcare system is truly broken, and it's partly due to family doctors not being the proper gatekeepers for our healthcare system.

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.

If I could do zero stars I would. Where do I even start. Well to call the office to even get an appointment literally takes 200 phone calls later cause rather no one answers the phone or it goes straight to voice mail. My family dr. Dr. Biely was amazing! No complains there but the receptionist and front office is a different story. My son has been going here since he was born. They have his health card on file. I called a head of time to see a walk in doctor for my son and told them his dad lost his health card. They told me over the phone. It’s no problem just bring him in anyways, so I did. I got there and no one would see him cause I didn’t have a photo of it or a hard copy of it. EVEN WHEN ITS IN HIS FILE. what walk in clinic won’t look at a 2 year old is beyond me. No one seems to care what so ever. It took his father to call the office in anger to get him in. For them to tell me to email them a photo of what was going on. So I did. NO ONE CALLED ME BACK AT ALL. nor did they answer my phone call back. I’m switching family doctors. It angers me way too much to even try to make an appointment & even when I do have one made in advanced I’m always rushed out the office. Only good thing I can say is there pharmacy is better than the actual office. I would even bother using this office in an pinch. Your better off going to lake ridge in all honesty.

Got turned away with a 2 year old who has an ear infection. We made it there long before they closed but got told because my daughter has a cough she must have a negative covid test. How can we provide a negative covid test when no pharmacy in the area has them in stock. Phoned 9 pharmacies. Not one had any. One even laughed and said they haven't had them in 8+ weeks. Turning away a sick kid who needs to see a doctor is cruel. Also making us turn to the hospital/emergency room and tying up resources for something that is totally in the realm of a family practice. GARDEN MEDICAL CENTER is not a place we will ever go again. If you have children. I would steer clear of this place. My child suffered for longer than needed because of this place. If I could give it a lower score I would.

Update: My husband went to this walk in 1 week following the review below. No one asked if he had covid symptoms or if he had tested himself or if he had the negative test with him. The doctor is lovely and the wait times aren’t bad but, policies are extremely inconsistent and seem to change based on who is running the front desk that day. Original review: Front desk isn’t empathetic at all. My 19 month old son is running a high fever. We tested him for Covid before coming into the office but did not bring the test with us. I had visited this office 2 weeks prior and they never asked to see my negative test. This time they did and refused to hold our place in line while my husband went home to get the test and bring it back. I understand you are trying to keep patients and staff safe but your logic is really flawed because you aren’t asking for parents to be tested to enter the wait rooms or doctors offices and you have no way of ensuring WHEN these tests are being taken or if these test have been taken properly. If you’re willing to take someone’s word for those 2 factors why not take my word for having done the test to begin with? It seems like you have the rule for the sake of being difficult vs actually maintaining safety. We brought the negative test in and showed the front desk. I asked kindly if you could please put us in the queue from the original time of entry as my son is young and quite ill and you refused. Some compassion and grace goes a long way. Common sense goes even further. I would typically not recommend this place as a result of my poor experience but let’s be honest - what real choices do we have with respect to healthcare options in Ontario? You’re forced to except sub standard nonsense because we really have no other options. Suggestions: 1) Be consistent with your rules. It was okay to have no test one week and believe the word of your patient but not okay the next. 2) if you really care about keeping people safe, test everyone that comes through the doors. Test does not take long and could be done during the wait to see a doctor. Or take your patients word for it. Either you trust your patients fully or not at all. Pick and be consistent - apply actual logic.

If I could give this clinic zero stars I would. I went in to the clinic to see a doctor as I have a chest infection. No symptoms of covid and I am negative for it. I was REFUSED because I didn't have the physical test or photo to show them. Since when do you need to show proof of a negative covid test in order to see a doctor? The lady at the front desk was very rude and told me that I had to take a test and show them in order to be seen. When I asked her for one she said I'd have to go to the pharmacy and PAY for one. What a joke. And this is exactly why hospitals are full of people because the wait to see a family doctor takes days sometimes up to a week and you can't even go into a walk in clinic either without being refused. So disappointing.

It’s almost impossible to book an appointment with your doctor. When you call, they’ll put you on hold immediately then 30 mins later you have no choice but to hang up. Rinse and Repeat. I’ve had great empathetic doctors, I have yet to experience it from this place. There maybe good reason why it is the way it is there, i’m just letting you know my experience and it hasn’t been good.

Not bad at all overall but can improve on some points. Doctors are very good. I really don’t understand the many negative reviews as I had an overall pretty positive experience at this walk in clinic. I had a bad ankle sprain with ligament damage from a fall and twisted ankle and went to see the doctor there who was Dr Humaid. There wasn’t much of a wait time outside but overall it took about an hour for the whole session including the doctors appointment. Dr Humaid was thorough with her examination, took her time to explain to me what was wrong with my ankle and recommended both an x-ray and an ultrasound to understand what was wrong with my injury. I must say this was very positive experience and she was patient kind and understanding of what I was going through. She did say that she was going to call me back the following Monday but she wasn’t on duty that day so I had to go see a different doctor to see what the results of my x-ray and ultrasound reports were. I was then seen to by a Dr. Mirza who again was efficient and quickly suggested physiotherapy. The doctor doesn’t really have time to spend with you and discuss what is wrong because it has to be really quick as there’s only one doctor on duty. I really never had a problem with the front office staff and they were mostly helpful. Getting through to them on the phone to get your reports or references is very difficult and you are mostly on hold or being transferred to voicemail which doesn’t really help when you need a report really quickly. Would I go back to the Garden medical center? Yes I would because the wait times are quite low compared to other places and overall I had a pretty positive experience.

I’ve been coming to this clinic for maybe more then 10 years and today was the first time I’ve actually had a bad experience here… I have asthma and ran out of my puffers and have no more refills and unfortunately tested positive for Covid yesterday. Out of courtesy I called and asked is there anyway they can fax my prescription over to the pharmacy instead of me coming in, just like they were doing during Covid times…. I was told I cannot come in and to wait it out for 4 days before I come in to get a prescription and they’ll only fax prescriptions for family patients! So, if I get an asthma attack within the next 4 days I either have to pray that I can survive it without puffers or call for an ambulance and sit at a hospital for 12+ hours to get a puffer! For people that work in the medical field and don’t know how bad an asthma attack can be shouldn’t be working in a doctors office or should have better systems in play for situations like this!

The male doctor I saw was always helpful and professional, however the tamale is the opposite. I always get a bad feeling of her but I've reached my limit when I went to give my toddler her 15 months vaccine. She asked me how is she and I was explaining my concerns with constipation, she stopped me to say' how is she in regards to taking the vaccine colds/fever etc. She proceeded to give her the vaccine and never attended to my concerns. I reminded her and she again stopped me to say I need to book another appointment as she can only attend to giving her the vaccine. my jaw dropped, it was walk in. should I have left the room only to return in que or should I return the next week when my daughter suffer. That's a child that can't speak for herself. giving her her vaccine only took a minute. she could have even listen to her concerns while doing vaccine or whatever but to dismiss me? that's my daughters doctor. now I need to find a new doctor as I cant entrust she has my daughters best interest. A formal report will be file because I shouldn't have to experience this.

I see a lot of negative reviews for this place and I’m not invalidating those experiences but I definitely feel like it’s a case of when people have satisfactory (albeit not amazing) experiences they don’t feel compelled to write a review but when it’s bad they immediately do. Which is human nature I guess…. But I’m here to say I’ve been here twice and the receptionists were very well mannered and nice/helpful both times. Doctors were very good, took care of our issues and we have no complaints at all! (Roseola the first time we went and tonsillitis the next time)

It appears that Dr. Paul (CPSO # 117178) has completely abandoned his role as a family doctor, leaving his patients in a state of utter neglect. First and foremost, the most concerning aspect is the complete lack of communication from both Dr. Paul and the clinic itself. It is beyond comprehension how they can simply stop being family doctors without bothering to inform their patients. It is our right as patients to be kept informed about changes in healthcare providers, especially when we have entrusted our health and well-being to them for years. Furthermore, not only did Dr. Paul fail to reach out to his patients, but the clinic also showed no initiative in contacting individuals who did not come into the clinic. This utter disregard for patient care and welfare is nothing short of disgraceful. It is unfathomable that a medical professional and their associated clinic can be so negligent and indifferent towards the people they are meant to serve. As a patient, I believe that it is the duty of medical professionals to prioritize the well-being of their patients. However, Dr. Paul and the Taunton Garden Medical Clinic have demonstrated a complete lack of empathy and professionalism. It is deeply unsettling to witness the erosion of trust and the abandonment of patient care by those we rely on for our health needs.

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.

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.

Overall services from this clinic's front office is worst (2 staffs are so good in behaving and helping patient). Strongly recommended for them a relevant coaching and training. Getting them over phone call is almost impossible. Few of their doctors are really good. I can cite one doctor's name who is nobody but Dr. Saud Mirza, a fantastic and knowledgeable family physician. One of their female physician took more than a years to control my wife's High Blood Pressure despite of prescribing 3-4 types BP medicines but still not under control. She doesn't even bother to refer her to a specialist despite our request. There are many more complaints against their overall health services.

Worst clinic and doctors I’ve ever been to. Went in really ill with an issue with my lungs, had a high fever, but according to the doctor there she said I had no fever. Told me I should test for Covid (which was negative) and prescribed me an inhaler and a throat gargle. I didn’t even have a sore throat. Just a high fever and a horrible cough that made it difficult to breathe. Pain in my lungs and back. Thank goodness I went to the other clinic across the street. The doctor recognized I had a high persist fever for over three days, put me in an antibiotic and sent me for a chest X-ray. Turned out I had pneumonia. If I had listened to the doctor at this Garden medical centre clinic I would have been worse off or in a hospital. Thank goodness for Whitby North Medical Centre, their doctors are qualified and care more for the people who come in and even do follow up phone calls. As for the Garden Medical Centre I do not recommend this clinic anyone.

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.

The majority of the low reviews for this clinic are accurate. It's sad to say that family physicians - especially good ones - are a scarce commodity here in Ontario. My family doctor isn't unfriendly per se, but I don't feel the doctor takes genuine interest or care with me. It's actually scary to think that they don't have your best interests at heart and that shines through clearly. I would call the feeling I get from them "apathy". However, the absolute worst part of this clinic is the reception staff who appear unqualified, unresponsive and they have literally dropped the ball on multiple occasions by not calling back, faxing needed forms that they said they would, etc. What has been said here is true - they either don't pick up the phone or put you on hold indefinitely. They definitely don't do what they say they'll do; their incompetence is all the more worrisome as they are involved with people's health issues. I never bothered providing a review until I came across others' reviews here and felt that I also need to warn other people before they sign up. The one good thing with this clinic is the option for walk-in where wait times are incredibly good. At a former family doctor's office, I had to wait at least 1 hour before seeing them each time, which is very difficult if you work and also when you are ill.

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.

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.

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!!

Whenever I call them, they immidiately put the call on hold. They receive the call and just say "Please hold" and we hold for more than 25 to 30 minutes. No greetings when receiving the call, I think that is rude. Our family doctor is very nice and knowledgable but the customer service at the reception desk is awful. Sometimes I have to hang up and call again. Please provide us better service.

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.

Had a positive experience at this clinic. We brought our 2 month old for her first shots as a walk in (in process of finding a family doctor). We went at 9 am right when they opened and were seen in 30 min. Reception was friendly and attentive. The nurse that took her weight was caring and patient. And Dr. Mirza was also friendly, efficient, and great with our baby during the appointment. Waiting area is clean and spacious as well. Will be back!

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.

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.

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.

When waiting for the walk-in clinic, I witnessed an old man who came in and tried to book an appointment. He was a patient there, but had forgotten his health card. The receptionist told him that they don’t book appointments in person without showing a health card. He said “I usually book over the phone and I’ve never been asked for my health card number,” and she said “that’s right. You only need to show the health card if you book in person.” What kind of backwards policy is this? I told him to go out the door and call her from his cell phone and book the appointment that way. I was so shocked that this old man had come all the way to the office to book the appointment, but forgot his health card, so they basically wouldn’t even talk to him. Yikes.

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.

Front desk needs to become more accurate at estimating time, or don't even provide a wait time. Was told wait would be 45 mins, after 1.5 hrs asked again, was told 20 min. Ended up waiting for 2.5 hrs.... I don't think they had any idea how long it would be and were just giving me numbers.

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.

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

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.

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.