“Wow, new wards.” Dou Hetong seemed very emotional as he stood at the Emergency Medical Center’s new ward area. He washed his hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer while he asked Zuo Cidian, who stood beside him, “Are all the rooms under Doctor Ling?”
“Of course. All the rooms within your field of vision right now belong to the Ling Treatment Group.” Zuo Cidian was extremely proud of his treatment group.
“Are all the infection control measures carried out according to Doctor Ling’s requirements?” Dou Hetong asked in disbelief, “And Department Director Huo agreed?”
Zuo Cidian chuckled a few times and said, “Department Director Huo only aims to run the Emergency Medical Center well, while these rooms are under Doctor Ling’s jurisdiction.
Dou Hetong was filled with envy when he heard that. He clicked his tongue and said, “I guess Doctor Ling is already way ahead of the other young doctors, including me.” As he spoke, Dou Hetong shook his head in a very emotional manner.
Zuo Cidian merely gazed at Dou Hetong, and he did not say anything. As a typical middle-aged man who was approaching the age of fifty, he could not relate to what Dou Hetong was feeling right now at all.
“It’s not cheap to carry out all the infection control measures according to Doctor Ling’s requirements.” Dou Hetong took a few more steps forward and craned his head to look inside one of the rooms before continuing. “Since there are so many rooms, the treatment group could really save a lot of money if they do things the thrifty way.”
There was an underlying meaning behind his words. Those working in the Department of Infection Control were extremely scared of thrifty departments.
They always commented that those departments were “being thrifty at all the wrong places.”
In short, most of the excellent habits involving being thrifty of Chinese doctors who started practicing before the 1990s were no longer suitable after the SARS outbreak. They do not practice some of the common infection control measures such as the scheduled replacement of instruments, using fast-drying disinfectants or even replenishing dry tissue. Clinical waste bags were also always overflowing. All of these are problems that had been plaguing the Department of Infection Control.
However, both the hospital and its departments only had a limited amount of funds. Most hospitals in the country carry out cost accounting, which caused all the staff in the hospital to always think of ways to be thrifty.
You could also say that even if the medical staff were not thinking of being thrifty, they had no choice but to do so if their superiors refused to give them the necessary instruments and resources. Take clinical waste bags as an example. They only received a limited number of it each week or month. They risk running out of clinical waste bags at the end of the week or month if they do not fill them up to the brim.
However, Ling Ran’s requirements when it came to infection control were obviously not suitable for the thrifty-minded.
Ever since the establishment of the Emergency Medical Center, the money the Emergency Department used to buy bottles of alcohol-based hand sanitizers had increased by several folds. The cost for the department’s expenditure on other disinfectants and instruments was even greater.
With the Emergency Department’s previous scale of operation, such expenditure was still within an affordable range.
However, now that there were almost a hundred new hospital beds, Dou Hetong was not sure if Ling Ran was still able to continue implementing the regulations he had been insisting on. Of course, Dou Hetong hoped that he would be able to continue implementing his regulations.
The Department of Infection Control itself had very little funds. Most of the time, the expenditure spent on infection control measures fell on the respective departments.
To the Department of Infection Control, a department with someone like Ling Ran who was willing to fork out large sums of money for the sake of infection control was practically a major client.
Because of this, Dou Hetong not only hoped that Ling Ran could continue implementing these regulations, but also that he could expand the scope of these regulations to all of the Emergency Medical Center. However, he was also worried that the expansion would be carried out so swiftly that Ling Ran was unable to pay for the expenditure, causing him to lower his requirements toward infection control.
Zuo Cidian was totally calm as he gazed at how torn the young infection control practitioner looked. He kind of felt like laughing.
Even though Zuo Cidian was also extremely worried about the Ling Treatment Group’s possible expenditure not long ago, after he saw the income generated by the treatment group, he was no longer anxious about that matter.
As a middle-aged doctor from a town hospital, Zuo Cidian had also lived a life where he got to spend plenty of the hospital’s money and issue debit statements at will. Compared to him, an infection control practitioner from a tertiary Grade A hospital was a typical slumdog from a dirt poor department.
“We will uphold the requirements we have been insisting upon all this while.” Zuo Cidian decided to set Dou Hetong’s worries to rest for free. It was not as if Dou Hetong could afford the money to set his worries to rest, anyway.
As expected, Dou Hetong cheered up. “Are you sure? Oh, by the way, where is Doctor Ling?”
“He’s busy carrying out a surgery.” Zuo Cidian glanced at Dou Hetong with a grin on his face before he continued. “Lately, Doctor Ling has been busier than usual.”
“Should I wait for him, then?” Dou Hetong glanced at the direction of the operating theatre. As a doctor from the Department of Infection Control, Dou Hetong had the experience of waiting outside operating theaters so that he could make sure that surgeons washed their hands with alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Compared to that, waiting for a doctor to finish operating on a patient was nothing.
Zuo Cidian chuckled a few times before saying slowly, “You won’t be able to catch him. Nowadays, Doctor Ling carries out surgery after surgery.”
“Then…”
“Just go ahead with your tasks. Doctor Ling appreciates all that the Department of Infection Control has done for us.”
Dou Hetong laughed in embarrassment. “The Department of Infection Control probably holds less power than the care workers.”
Zuo Cidian said in a profound tone, “What you just said is not politically correct.”
Dou Hetong was immediately taken aback.
After giving the other party a shock, Zuo Cidian said, “Doctor Ling regards the Department of Infection Control very highly. Just keep up the good work.”
“Er… sure. Doctor Ling is indeed the only doctor I have seen who carries two bottles of alcohol-based sanitizer with him all the time.” Dou Hetong nodded quietly and gave himself an internal pep talk. ‘A person like Doctor Ling is obviously someone who walks the same path as me. The Department of Infection Control should treasure him.’
After bidding farewell to Zuo Cidian, Zuo Hetong continued walking around the Ling Treatment Group’s ward area.
There was still a bit of a foul smell since the ward area was newly renovated. Dou Hetong immediately put on a mouth face mask before whipping out two pairs of thin gloves and wearing them. Only then did he continue walking forward.
Some of the patients in those rooms spent their own money to buy air purifiers. They kept inhaling the supposedly purified air, but no one knew whether they were really useful.
Most of the patients there received the M-Tang surgery and Achilles tendon repair surgery. The rest of them received finger replantations and knee arthroscopic surgeries
The reason there were fewer patients who received knee arthroscopic surgeries in the ward was because of the shorter recovery time. Most of them got discharged after only staying in the hospital for three or four days. Even if they were not sleeping on the additional beds, no patients liked to stay in the hospital for an extended period of time.
Meanwhile, there were fewer patients who received finger replantations because Ling Ran had reduced patient intake for patients with severed fingers. Nowadays, he only aimed to operate on patients with three severed fingers or above. Even though Yun Hua Hospital had plenty of connections, they were not able to bring in more than a few of such cases each week.
They also had to face competition from other hospitals at the same time.
“Hm…” Dou Hetong scrunched up his nose. As he was already used to the smell of cement and paint, he could not get used to the sudden aroma that traveled up his nostrils.
Dou Hetong quickened his pace and walked past quite a few rooms at one go before he arrived at the canteen at the end of the corridor and found the source of the aroma.
There was a large basin with a gigantic pile of pork trotters inside.
The basin was so large that you could place a toddler inside and bathe him, and the pork trotters were bigger than toddlers’ legs. Judging from how the pork trotters were stewed to the point that you could see the bones underneath, Dou Hetong reckoned that they were softer than the feet of a toddler.
Dou Hetong wrinkled his nose. The thick aroma made his stomach grumble.
“Promotion in conjunction with the opening of the new ward area. One pork trotter for 22 RMB. It’ll become 28 RMB again next week.” A muscular man hoisted another basin with pork shanks inside. He placed a frame with the image of a QR code within on the table.
“Twenty-two…” Dou Hetong placed his hand inside his pocket and hesitated for a moment. The doctors of the Department of Infection Control did not get to receive income such as surgery fees, and their bonus was only 30% of what the average doctor in the hospital received. Their pay was not even comparable to the nurses’, as they did not get to enjoy special remuneration exclusive to nurses when they performed nursing treatment and service length allowances. Even though their pay was enough for them to afford their basic necessities, they definitely needed to live a frugal lifestyle to be able to afford to buy a house or have savings.
“It’s okay. I’m watching my diet today.” Dou Hetong sighed and shook his head.
The muscular man thought nothing of it. He nodded, glanced at Dou Hetong, and said, “Men should look slender when clothed, yet muscular when undressed. You look like you could use some beef.”
As he spoke, someone inside the kitchen shouted, “Where are you?”
The muscular man smiled at Dou Hetong and immediately answered to the person inside the kitchen. He then entered the kitchen before coming out with another basin of meat.
Dou Hetong was astonished. “Why did you guys cook so much?”
“We are very renowned for our pork trotters.” As the muscular man spoke, he placed another stack of disposable lunch boxes on the table.
‘You’re good in no matter what you do once you’re famous for it.’ Dou Hetong thought about Ling Ran’s skyrocketing fame and fantasized about the things that would happen in his life if he were to possess such skills. He probably would not even eat pork trotters anymore, as he would be able to afford whole pigs. And he would not even be able to spend all the surgery fees he got in a month even if he tried to.
“I’m going to the operating theater. Stay sharp, okay?” An even more muscular man walked out of the kitchen in the canteen. He walked forward without looking around at all as he put on his large white coat.
Dou Hetong recognized that iconic, well-toned body at first glance. He quickly called out, “Doctor Lu.”
“Oh… Hi.” Lu Wenbin turned as he adjusted the Gucci belt he wore. There was a smile on his face. He did not recognize Dou Hetong, but it would not be appropriate to tell that to Dou Hetong’s face.
“Are you going to perform surgery? With Doctor Ling?” Dou Hetong asked.
“Yeah, there’s an M-Tang surgery.” Lu Wenbin’s smile became even brighter. He had acted as Ling Ran assistant in almost three hundred M-Tang surgeries and had been putting on a good performance. This was when he got to show his results.
Dou Hetong quickly said, “Can I go over with you to take a look? I would like to discuss some matters pertaining to infection control with Doctor Ling.”
“Infection control… sure. I’m just afraid that Doctor Ling would not have the time to see you.” Lu Wenbin did not say much. He turned around and charged toward the operating theater with a pair of Ermenegildo Zegna shoes on his feet.
Dou Hetong immediately ran after him. He was still thinking about how to make small talk with Lu Wenbin when Lu Wenbin sped up to the point that it was as if he was in a walkathon.
When they arrived at the Operating Area, Dou Hetong became even more lost.
The doctors of the Ling Treatment Group occupied two operating theaters. Aside from the chief surgeon and his assistants, there were also quite a number of medical interns and observing doctors inside.
Lu Wenbin gestured with his chin at the basin as he washed his hands. He said to Dou Hetong in a friendly tone, “The Ling Treatment Group has been receiving plenty of foreign patients. There are also many patients from other provinces. Even Doctor Ling is finding it a little difficult to handle so many cases. Do keep it short when you talk to him.”
“Alright.” Dou Hetong nodded dumbfoundedly as he glanced at the way Lu Wenbin washed his hands, ready to correct him if he were to make a mistake.
Unfortunately, even after fixing his eyes on Lu Wenbin’s hands for a long time, he did not notice any error. Dou Hetong did not know whether to be happy or disappointed about that. He raised his head and asked, “Around what time will Doctor Ling be done with the surgery? I can come over later to talk to him.”
“There are surgeries lined up until dawn today.”
“Dawn? I can’t come over at dawn. I need to sleep early at night,” Dou Hetong muttered and asked another question, “How about tomorrow?”
Lu Wenbin glanced a few times at Dou Hetong and finally asked, “Which department are you from?”
“The Department of Infection Control.”
“Oh… infection control.” Lu Wenbin was no longer worried and said, “Doctor Ling is departing to the Third People’s Hospital of Yun Hua City for surgery. You won’t be able to catch him tomorrow.”
“The Third People’s Hospital? Aren’t they a hospital for infectious diseases?”
“Yeah, apparently Doctor Ling is also renowned among those who specialize in infectious diseases nowadays. I don’t exactly know how that happened.” After Lu Wenbin said that, he walked out of the door.
Dou Hetong’s mind was filled with various thoughts as he stood in the designated hand-washing room. Those thoughts included how things must be extremely difficult for the Department of Infection Control of the Third People’s Hospital of Yun Hua City, and how Ling Ran must be receiving a huge sum of money for this freelance surgery.
Dou Hetong suddenly thought about how he saw Ling Ran as someone who “walked the same path as him.” He could not help but feel emotional upon the thought that there was a rich person among doctors who were passionate about infection control.
