"Oh." The mention of money immediately dispelled whatever interest Zheng Ren initially had in the topic.
Dealing with international funds was a complicated matter that Zheng Ren would rather someone else handle as it involved foreign laws.
According to Su Yun, the funding would be from big medical device manufacturers like Boston Technologies and Medtronic. Zheng Ren believed the money would not be given without some stipulations which would work against their favor.
The money was similar to the red packets from patients; Zheng Ren would avoid them if he could.
Su Yun saw the indifference on Zheng Ren's face and said, "You probably don't know the amount, right? That's why you look so disinterested."
"How much?"
"A few million US dollars, and the whole amount would be yours. If you're in a good mood, I don't mind receiving a small share," Su Yun replied.
'Wow… That's a lot of money.'
Zheng Ren was stunned.
"And you won't have to worry about being threatened by the medical device companies. If Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery heard about this, they would amass at least a million dollars to throw into your research," Su Yun said.
"Why?"
"The prostate interventional embolization you did back in Imperial Capital was complex, but it was a niche procedure. On the other hand, TIPS surgery is an established procedure, but you made significant improvements to it. Your research will shake the world of interventional surgery."
"I see." Zheng Ren was not a big fan of fame.
He was not interested in rankings or renown. In his medical journey thus far, he only paid attention to two things: the benefits to the patient and the satisfaction of the System.
As long as a procedure could benefit the patient, Zheng Ren believed it was justified.
As for the System, Zheng Ren believed over time, he would reach the peak in every skill tree. Of course, he still had to worry about other competitors, but for now, Zheng Ren had his sights set low.
At the moment, he had to complete nine TIPS surgeries to pass the second stage of his main mission.
3000 cases worth of radiofrequency ablation experience was on the line…
Right, it was time for Zheng Yunxia's follow up.
"Chang Yue, how's Miss Zheng's progress?" Zheng Ren asked.
"She'll be coming in in three days for her check up," Chang Yue said without a moment's thought.
Although Zheng Ren could recall the patient's name, his relationship with Zheng Yunxia could be summed up as a brief coincidence. On the other hand, Chang Yue could provide the patient's appointment date without referring to the hospital's records. Chang Yue's dedication to the patients under her care was truly admirable.
Chapter 370 - Land Mines Everywhere
Peace settled over the days to come.
The weekend passed in relative tranquility.
The emergency department faced little ruckus in these two days. A total of five appendices and three gall bladders were removed. The patients were admitted in the day, allowing Su Yun and Yang Lei to complete the procedures while the sun was up.
As chief resident, Zheng Ren only stood watch in the observatory room.
Su Yun was an impeccable assistant and, without Zheng Ren in the operating room, he was able to stand out. His methods were practised and his hands were steady in execution. With his surgical performance, he was on par with a department chief.
A prefecture-level hospital department chief who could perfectly complete minor surgeries.
Occasionally Zheng Ren had wondered if Su Yun had a System of his own. The man learned new things at an extraordinary speed. As a doctor from a cardiothoracic background, he operated the laparoscope with incredible precision.
How Su Yun mastered his skills had nothing to do with Zheng Ren.
Zheng Ren was grateful he could leave all the minor surgeries to Su Yun.
Recently, Zheng Ren and Xie Yiren had gotten used to the new carpool arrangement. Every day, Xie Yiren would drive Zheng Ren home and they would happily chat in the car. The awkwardness from before had subsided over time.
On Monday morning, during the morning rounds, Old Chief Physician Pan expressed his approval for the orderly manner in which the emergency department had facilitated admissions during the weekend. A brief inspection later, he went back to his own office.
When Old Chief Physician Pan left, Chang Yue called Zheng Ren over.
"Chief Zheng, that old man you brought into the wards; I think there's a problem with him," Chang Yue said.
"What's the problem?"
"I've been talking to his children and asked about their family. The old man's elder brother passed away three months ago from lung cancer. Apparently, since then, his wife has ordered him to stop smoking," Chang Yue said.
This was a family of long-living people; how enviable.
"And?"
"The old man was a chronic smoker, so quitting was obviously not easy. But the family was strict about it. I'm sure you would know a thing or two about that," Chang Yue said playfully and shot him a look. Zheng Ren was confused.
"So the old man faked being sick. He's been saying he has frequent urination and goes to the toilet once an hour. Then, he comes back from the toilet with the smell of smoke on his clothes. A cigarette an hour is pretty plausible to me," Chang Yue detailed.
Zheng Ren's brows furrowed.
No wonder the old man wanted to stay in the hospital; he was avoiding home so he could smoke his cigarettes.
"Have you told the family?" Zheng Ren asked.
"Not formally, but I think the children are giving the old man a pass on the issue," Chang Yue replied.
The old man's children were in their sixties, so their observation skills might be on the lower side.
Moreover, they had watched their father smoke for their entire lives. The smell of tobacco would not be noteworthy to them.
However, the hospital could not house the old man forever.
Zheng Ren smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble."
"Hm?" Chang Yue seemed to sense there was a deeper meaning to the words.
"I assume you followed the old man into the toilet every hour?" Chang Yue's expression suggested Zheng Ren made the wrong assumption.
As a doctor, it was not uncommon to go to the toilet to check on the patient's stool.
It was no one's favorite task, but for the sake of the patient, one had to do it.
Chang Yue's expression was neutral as she said, "I instructed his caretaker to notify me whenever he came back from the toilet. That's how I caught wind of the smoking."
"..."
"Now, I'm handing the case back to you." Chang Yue turned and left for the computer terminal to key in some patient details.
Regardless of her methods, Zheng Ren was grateful to have Chang Yue. Her attention to detail was paramount to solving the case.
Zheng Ren frowned as he tried to figure out his next step.
"Chang Yue, what do you think we should do?" he resorted to asking when he could not find a good solution.
"There's nothing much we can do. Just tell the family the truth."
Chang Yue's idea was not great, but at the moment, that was the only option they had.
As a unique case, Zheng Ren gave the old man special attention.
After all, he was at an age where death could take him despite a clean bill of health.
They had to make sure the old man had adequate care. A sudden death could spark a lawsuit if the family was unreasonable.
Although old age was not something they could treat, Zheng Ren refused to step on a land mine and treaded carefully.
He had to inform Old Chief Physician Pan about this ticking time bomb.
Zheng Ren exchanged a few words with Chang Yue and noted down a preliminary plan before heading to Old Chief Physician Pan's office.
His phone rang before he could reach the bottom floor.
"Hello."
"Oh, Di
rector Zhang. Yes, yes. We're good on this end." A smile broke out on Zheng Ren's face.
"Alright, then I'll inform Old Chief Physician Pan about this. I'll take a day off to visit the Secondary Hospital. I'll update you if I have any news."
With that, Zheng Ren hung up the call.
Director Zhang from the Secondary Hospital was fully committed to the TIPS surgery collaboration. In one weekend, he was able to prepare five patients with decompensated cirrhosis for the procedure.
Five was less than d.e.s.i.r.ed.
Zheng Ren mulled over the ten surgeries he had to complete for the mission. Perhaps it would not be as easy as he thought.
After all, 95% of interventional surgeons have never completed a single TIPS surgery in their entire career.
'One step at a time, one surgery at a time,' Zheng Ren thought.
He arrived at Old Chief Physician Pan's office and found the door open. He peeked inside and saw a nurse sobbing in the office chair.
'What was going on?'
Old Chief Physician Pan noticed Zheng Ren and shot him a look. He spoke to the nurse in a kind voice, "Little Song, rest assured, we will handle this complaint. Zheng Ren, you'll see to this."
Zheng Ren was speechless.
He was here to inform Old Chief Physician Pan about the land mine he just encountered, but now the old chief was throwing another mine in his direction.
How frustrating. What was the complaint about?
The nurse's sobs earned her no pity from Zheng Ren. He tried to guess what her complaint was about.
"Little Song, what happened?" Zheng Ren walked over and asked.
At the question, the nurse let out a cry and the subsequent sobs were louder than before.
"I want to quit! I'm done working here!" Nurse Song shouted through the cries.
"Come now, let's talk it out. There's nothing to worry about with Old Chief Physician Pan here," Zheng Ren consoled the nurse.
After a few minutes of convincing, the nurse finally calmed down and was able to tell them about what had happened.
Chapter 371 - An Awkward Predicament
Three years ago, when Zheng Ren was still young and inexperienced, an incident occured in the clinic.
A doctor prescribed an oral medication in capsule form to a patient. The patient asked about the daily dosage and left. Later, it was revealed the patient consumed the aluminium packaging along with the capsule.
Yes, both the capsule and the aluminium foil.
The patient argued that the hospital staff did not give clear instructions as to how to take the medication. He thought the aluminium packaging was edible.
The whole incident was extremely ludicrous.
Zheng Ren never found out how the incident was settled in the end.
There were only two solutions: First would be to compensate the patient and let him go wreck havoc in other hospitals. Second would be to stand firm and let the hospital's legal team do what they were paid for.
The doctor and nurse would have their salaries docked, and the hospital would have to include, 'Remind patients to not consume the aluminium packaging,' into their standard operating procedure.
Although the second option was more time-consuming, it was the proper way to address such incidents.
Today, a patient inquired about the medication dosage and Nurse Song provided the standard explanation.
She did not forget to remind the patient about the inedible aluminium foil packaging.
When she was done explaining, the patient was furious.
The patient was offended.
All he wanted was the dosage information. What did the nurse mean about the packaging?
Did she think he was retarded?
Tempers flared and the patient immediately filed a complaint against the nurse.
Regardless, Nurse Song did nothing wrong. She was abiding hospital protocol.
Zheng Ren did not know whether to laugh or cry.
What nonsense was this?
Old Chief Physician Pan was equally as frustrated. He consoled the young nurse and told her to not worry about the patient's complaint. As the department chief, he would support her and provide evidence of the hospital's standard operating procedure. If there was anyone to blame, it would be the person who wrote the procedure. They spent 20 minutes placating the nurse.
When the nurse left the room, Zheng Ren's mouth was as dry as a desert.
It was tiring, more tiring than performing two TIPS surgeries back to back.
Zheng Ren knew problems like these would crop up every now and then.
As more potent drugs hit the shelf, the list of side effects that came with them got longer.
The hospital was a public service and they interacted with people from all walks of life. Disagreements and confrontations were unavoidable.
With the nurse gone, Zheng Ren took a seat across from Old Chief Physician Pan and said, "Chief Pan, there's something I need to tell you."
"Have a drink. We're not in a rush." Old Chief Physician Pan pointed to the water dispenser.
Zheng Ren took a disposable cup and filled it with water. It took three cups of water before his thirst was quenched.
He proceeded to tell Old Chief Physician Pan about the case of the old smoker. He summarized the observations he and Chang Yue made, along with the solutions they discussed.
Old Chief Physician Pan gave his agreement. "Sure. Since we have done our best to screen for any form of illness and found nothing, I'll have a talk with the family about the patient's reluctance to go home."
The old man's youngest family member was at least 60 years old, hence it was better to have Old Chief Physician Pan do the talking. Zheng Ren and Chang Yue were simply too young to have any sway with the family.
Old Chief Physician Pan would see to the matter.
There was an art to delivering unpleasant news and having the age bonus would give them more leverage.
Now that that was settled, Zheng Ren switched topics. "Chief Pan, the Secondary Hospital has requested for me to assist them in some surgeries."
"Oh?" Old Chief Physician Pan's ears perked at the mention of surgeries. He found the drama of medical lawsuits to be quite dull and was glad for a change in topic. "Details, please. What procedure?"
"In the past week, I helped Department Chief Xia with two TIPS surgeries. During the second surgery, Director Zhang from the Secondary Hospital came over to observe. After the surgery, he approached me and invited me to his hospital to perform the TIPS procedure," Zheng Ren reported.
"The probability of success?" It was the only concern Old Chief Physician Pan had.
In Sea City General Hospital, Old Chief Physician Pan was confident he could shield Zheng Ren from any fallout should he fail his task. He had the clout and jurisdiction to perform damage control.
If something went wrong in the Secondary Hospital, Zheng Ren's small shoulders would not be able to bear the burden.
"I do not see any foreseeable problems. I managed to reduce the surgery time to an hour and Professor Rudolf Wagner would be accompanying me as my assistant. If we encounter any extreme situations, I'm sure the professor can handle it," Zheng Ren answered.
Old Chief Physician Pan thought for a few seconds, then smiled and nodded. "Go ahead then. When do you plan to leave?"
"With your approval, I will arrange something with Director Zhang," Zheng Ren said.
Old Chief Physician Pan was satisfied with Zheng Ren's answer. "I approve. Why wouldn't I? You're growing up so fast."
His words were bittersweet.
Zheng Ren's career in the emergency department was relatively short. In three months, he had gone from a junior doctor to a fly-in surgeon, outpacing a normal ten-year career progression by leaps and bounds.
"I could never have done all this if it weren't for you," Zheng Ren said sincerely.
"It has nothing to do with me," Old Chief Physician Pan replied with a smile.
Nothing more was said between the old
department chief and the young chief resident. Both parties were humble and further talks would only devolve into a self-deprecation match.
As Zheng Ren was about to leave the office, Old Chief Physician Pan asked, "When is Department Chief Kong from Imperial Capital calling you over for his surgeries?"
"I have not gotten any news. I'll wait for Department Chief Kong and your arrangement," Zheng Ren said.
"Once the call comes, just let me know. The Imperial Capital surgeries are important and success is a must!" Old Chief Physician Pan sounded like a commander during wartimes.
"Yes, sir." Zheng Ren nodded and left the office.
He took a detour to check on the observation unit. After making sure there were no misdiagnoses, he went back to the emergency ward office.
When he entered, he saw a familiar face.
"Miss Zheng, you're back," Zheng Ren greeted the woman with a smile.
Zheng Yunxia saw Zheng Ren and quickly stood up to greet him. "It's nice to see you again, Chief Zheng."
"Sit, sit."
After her second surgery, Zheng Yunxia had recovered remarkably well. Her physical and mental health were restored to her pre-cancer state.
She had gotten some jobs and was working hard to earn a living.
Although Zheng Ren and Chang Yue had arranged for a huge discount for her surgery, she still had to fork out a few thousand yuan for her periodic check ups and treatments.
A few thousand yuan was a measly sum to some families, but to Zheng Yunxia, every penny had to be earned through hard work.
The follow up surgery was scheduled every 35 days. It was a short time period to earn a few thousand yuan.
Chang Yue, Xie Yiren, and the Chu sisters had offered to help, but were adamantly rejected. Zheng Yunxia believed in the saying, 'Help the starving, not the poor.' If she could get the money, she would proceed with the next cycle of surgeries. Otherwise, she would just have to live with it.
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