Should patients be fined if they miss appointments?

Should doctors be penalised when you're made to wait an unreasonable length of time, or when they cancel an appointment (which was made 6 months ago) and fail to notify you, as happened to me this morning (I know, I shouldn't have agreed to one for Friday the 13th). It was a 40 km drive from my home into the city centre, for which I needed to impose upon someone else to be my 'designated driver' as it was an appointment at a retinal clinic and I wouldn't be capable of driving home afterwards.

sure, that penalty would be that you go find another doctor

Canellations are just a part of doing business. Any professional who works with the public knows this. Doctors are no different just because they are paid more than others. I agree with Seosamh, some doctors have absolutely no respect for their patients or their time. Depending on your situation it is not just as simple as "find another doctor". Depending on where you live there may not be another doctor avaliable in your area. Additionally the wait to see certain specialists can be totally unreasonable.

Shouldn't the doctor think why patients don't willingly to see them, if they miss appointments just by mean that they wish not to see doctor or afraid of. Patients may have phobia toward this particular doctor, may due to the doctor misbehaviour or weird attitude. Change doctor isn't easy as the location, which include country may lack of profession. Have any of these kind of doctors, who lack of ethics, scold patient, etc ... think of what patients really need and not forcing them to follow the way he or she wants. One should understand that different people has different point of views. Well, why i say so, as this happen to me!! I'm really afraid of him.. Even if is non-purposive miss, then they would have their reason for it. Well this will never had a absolute answer, it would depends on the condition as well...