System Came When the Doctor was Thirty

Then, we’d start by cramming through an advanced training course in a systematic way for a period of time.

After digesting all that, we’d need to invite professors or associate professors, chief physicians from upper-level hospitals who are skilled at this surgery to come to our institution for guidance and surgical consultations.

After some time, we’d invite these chief physicians to sit in regularly, provide clinical guidance—from admitting patients, to surgical teaching and familiarization, until we’re proficient—gradually reducing the number of times we need professors to fly in and operate…

Based on a rough budget, the initial funding needed for Limb Preservation Surgery for mutilating injuries is over four million.

And the profit from a single Limb Preservation Surgery is about 3,000 yuan; what actually ends up in the hospital’s pocket is only 800.

To recoup four million in funding, the hospital would have to perform more than five thousand surgeries just to barely break even.

More than five thousand surgeries—assuming one surgery per day per doctor, no days off all year round—it would take nearly fifteen years…

Yet fifteen years from now, it might be possible to directly recruit a chief physician who knows how to handle mutilating injuries for two million.

Yao Xin said, ”Director Wu, I understand what you mean. Limb Preservation Surgery for mutilating injuries is very meaningful and absolutely necessary to develop.”

”But you also have to consider how difficult things are for the hospital. There are so many near-fatal conditions in the surgical system, and other specialties also want to go out and learn.”

”If we get to the crux of it, amputation is ultimately just a terminal surgery that relatively affects quality of life. Compared with patients directly dying, with an increased emergency mortality rate, it’s still quite a bit better.”

”Your department is under pressure regarding amputation rates, I can understand that. I’m from the surgical system myself. It’s the same for us—splenectomy and cholecystectomy proportions are being constantly pushed down by the hospital.”

”But…”

Wu Xiang cut him off: ”No, Dean Yao, what I want to trouble you with is to send this application back to me. I’ll change the form. We’re not going to apply for funding for Limb Preservation Surgery anymore.”

Yao Xin immediately put on a playful face: ”Send it back? No problem. I haven’t even dared to submit it yet, it’s still sitting in my drawer.”

”Director Wu, you also have to understand my difficulties. There are too many surgeries in the surgical system that we need to learn. The priority ranking for Limb Preservation Surgery is really far back.”

”For a prefecture-level city hospital like ours, the primary development tasks right now are still centered on saving lives and preserving organs.”

”As for amputation, usually you cut off half a leg, and the other half can be fitted with a prosthesis. You can kind of count that as a half-organ resection…”

Wu Xiang couldn’t be bothered to listen to Yao Xin’s sophistry and said, ”Dean Yao, stop with the nonsense. Hurry up and contact the person in charge of the Trauma Center, Dr. Lu Cheng.”

”Limb Preservation Surgery for mutilating injuries will be a major learning task and research project for our hospital for the next two years.”

”Huh? What are you talking about? Director Wu?” Yao Xin knew Lu Cheng.

But he felt that he really shouldn’t be hearing Trauma Surgery’s Wu Xiang talking about Lu Cheng in such a familiar way, right?

What the hell is he up to? Trying to steal my people right under my nose?

”This morning, Dr. Lu Cheng called me. He said our department had dumped a mutilating injury patient on him, asking him to do an amputation.”

”He agreed, but then he went back and reassessed carefully!~”

”Turned out amputation wasn’t necessary, so he called me over to do Limb Preservation Surgery together. From the look of it, we seem to have succeeded.”

”Next, we still need to invite experts who specialize in this area to come and evaluate it.”

”However, even though we don’t know how to perform Limb Preservation Surgery, we still understand a thing or two about the basic criteria for judging its success.”

”The outcome shouldn’t be bad.”

Yao Xin suddenly blurted out, ”Lu Cheng already has it in hand? Then why is your department still applying for four million?”

When Wu Xiang heard that, the cup at his hand was shoved aside, hitting the floor with a crisp sound. Wu Xiang didn’t hesitate to snap back, ”You’ve still got so many academicians in Hepatobiliary Surgery, don’t you? So how come the splenic repair techniques ended up being expanded in Lu Cheng’s hands?”

”Are they—you all—just joking around?”

Yao Xin sucked in a breath of cold air on the spot; his mind went blank for a few seconds. ”Director Wu, I’m sorry. I misspoke just now.”

”It’s mainly because I was too surprised, my brain cramped.”

What Wu Xiang said weighed heavier, much heavier, than the big hat he had thrown on earlier.