This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

Many workplaces or companies have a favorite habit: they start the week with a Monday morning meeting and end it with a Friday debrief.

The Health Clinic was no different. A meeting on Monday was a must.

Except for one person left in the registration office, everyone else gathered in the third-floor conference room.

Only then would you realize that the total number of staff in the entire Health Clinic was about twenty or so.

However, you couldn’t break down those numbers too much. The number of people actually seeing patients among those present today, including Wu Buwei, was just four.

In today’s meeting room, Du Heng saw three nurses whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.

However, these three had been seconded to the Township Government for almost a year now. The Township Government hadn’t mentioned when this arrangement would end, and the Dean hadn’t mentioned when they were going to return.

Usually, these three didn’t come back, acting as if they were entirely part of the Township Government. Yet, they showed up for today’s meeting. Did something major happen?

With a puzzled look, Du Heng looked to the front. Director Li, as always, was delivering his grand, hollow speeches.

It didn’t take long, however, for Du Heng to extract useful information from Dean Li Qingde’s nonsensical ramblings.

The first topic was precisive poverty alleviation.

However, the main executor of this task was the Township Government, while other administrative units were merely providing support.

Looking at the three nurses who had suddenly attended the meeting, Du Heng knew this matter had no relevance to him. Those three nurses were eager to transfer their authorized positions straight to the Township Government. They didn’t want to stay in this Health Clinic, which they saw as having no future, for even a second longer.

However, the Health Clinic operated on partially subsidized positions, which was significantly different from the Township Government’s fully subsidized positions.

Although both were funded by the state finance department, transferring was not that simple.

Now, with the precisive poverty alleviation task at hand, they saw this as an opportunity and were determined not to waste it.

The second topic was National Health Records.

Township Health Centers and Community Hospitals are First-tier Medical Institutions. They were gradually being reoriented towards the role of family doctors.

He didn’t know how Community Hospitals were handling this. However, from listening to Li Qingde’s speech, he gathered that the Health Clinic was to complete health records for the entire township, on a household basis, by May.

This was actually an arduous task.

The entire township covered 65.8 square kilometers, encompassing 57 natural villages and a population of just under 20,000.

The most troublesome part was that the furthest village was nearly an hour’s drive from the Health Clinic, a distance of almost 20 kilometers, all on mountainous roads.

If this task were assigned to a single person or just a few people, it was terrifying to even think about.

And right now, it seemed that aside from Du Heng, the only other person in the Health Clinic capable of accomplishing this task was Zhang Jinlian. As for Dean Li Qingde, he was an extremely busy man and a leader; how could he possibly undertake such a task?

As for Wu Buwei, it was even more out of the question; he definitely couldn’t go out alone.

Du Heng felt very dejected. He gazed out the window at the continuously falling snow, lost in thought.

The weather in Jinzhou could be peculiar, especially during the transitions between spring and summer, and autumn and winter. Early morning and late-night temperatures could be bone-chillingly cold.

People would wear padded jackets and still shiver, but by midday, they would feel fine in just a T-shirt.

This led to a very peculiar phenomenon on the streets of Jinzhou.

At noon, if you stood on the street, you could see men bundled up in thick padded jackets and down jackets, alongside girls already showing off their bare legs.

Today’s weather was just like that.

Yesterday, it had been sunny, and people had already switched to lighter clothing. But in just one night, when people opened their doors again, the ground was covered in a thick layer of snow.

This fluctuating cold and hot weather was a test for the elderly and children in rural areas; carelessness could easily lead to catching a cold.

Moreover, looking at the snow on the roads, even going to see a doctor wouldn’t be easy.

Thankfully, each village now had village doctors who could treat simple, common illnesses, and they were also well-stocked with common household medicines.

Du Heng’s eyes suddenly lit up.

That’s right, there are village doctors in every village! They’ve already done the initial statistical work and conducted preliminary health screenings for their villagers.

If I take on this task and deliver medical services door-to-door, wouldn’t the problem of insufficient patient cases be solved?

I could quickly meet the quota required by the system, and I wouldn’t have to stay at the clinic, bickering with that shrew Zhang Jinlian over one or two patients every day. It’s a win-win!

Yes, I should proactively take on this task.

Du Heng turned his head again to look at Li Qingde. Listening to the speech, which was nearing its end, Du Heng prepared to show some initiative.

THUMP.

The conference room door was suddenly pushed open from the outside. Wang Zhenzhen’s voice was somewhat anxious as she called out, ”Dean, a baby with a high fever has arrived downstairs. Please come and take a look quickly!”

With a patient waiting, Director Li didn’t delay. He immediately concluded the meeting, which was already at its end. ”Alright, that’s it for the meeting. Think about the two matters I mentioned. Whoever is willing to take them on can come to me and sign up. That’s all. Dismissed! Dr. Zhang, Doctor Du, come with me to see the patient.”

High fever emergencies like this usually wouldn’t be brought to the Health Clinic.

People usually went straight to the city, a ten to twenty-minute drive away, where various Grade 3A hospitals awaited them.

But because of today’s weather, there were no cars on the road, so the patient’s family had no choice but to come to the Health Clinic.

In Zhang Jinlian’s office, a young mother was tightly holding her child, who was wrapped in so many layers of clothing that they looked extremely bulky.

When she saw them enter, a pleading look filled her face.

Although Wang Zhenzhen wasn’t a doctor, she did have basic medical knowledge.

When she heard the mother say the child had a high fever, she had already placed a thermometer under the child’s armpit before going upstairs to call for them.

By the time they came down, the thermometer reading was about ready. Wang Zhenzhen took it out and handed it directly to Director Li.

”39.1!”

Before he even had a chance to ask about the child’s condition, Director Li looked at the number on the thermometer and exclaimed.

Zhang Jinlian took the thermometer, glanced at it, and her expression changed instantly. She put down the thermometer and quickly began to examine the child.

After she peeled back the layers of clothing, the child’s flushed and slightly damp face appeared before everyone.

Moreover, several herpes sores had already appeared at the corners of the child’s mouth.

When the child was placed on the examination bed and the mother completely loosened her arms, the child actually showed signs of chills.

Zhang Jinlian glanced at the young mother. This woman had been holding the child too tightly. If they hadn’t laid the child down, they wouldn’t have noticed the chills.

After taking up her stethoscope and completing the subsequent examinations, Zhang Jinlian’s face was filled with hesitation.

Just as she hesitated, a soft squelching sound came from beneath the child, followed by a foul odor.

The child’s mother hurriedly changed the diaper. The stool on the soiled diaper was bright yellow and watery.

The child also started crying then, their cries hoarse and strained, accompanied by severe coughing.

High fever, chills, herpes sores at the corners of the mouth, coughing, dullness on percussion between both lungs, and diarrhea.

Zhang Jinlian immediately wanted to back out.