CHAPTER 127: 127 ATTENDING THE MEETING

The patient’s son pondered for more than half an hour, then stood up and bowed to Liu Banxia.

"Doctor, save her. No matter the cost, whatever it takes, save her. Please keep an eye on my mom; I’m going to sell the taxi license now," the patient’s son said earnestly. "Otherwise, I’m afraid I’ll regret it later. It’s just the two of us left, relying on each other. Money can still be earned. If selling the car isn’t enough, I’ll mortgage the house too."

"Don’t worry, our hospital will definitely do its best," Liu Banxia also made a solemn promise.

Watching the patient’s son rush out, Liu Banxia returned to Dr. Zhang. "Dr. Zhang, the family has made their choice. They want us to do everything we can."

"Can they afford the expenses?" Zhang Xiao asked.

Liu Banxia nodded. "I was so hesitant just now; I almost persuaded him to give up. It’s only today that I truly understand what my boss meant: everything has a limit."

"Alright, I’ll inform the team here," Zhang Xiao said. "Don’t overthink it. There are many patients in the ICU; at least sixty percent of them have received critical illness notices."

"All we can do is our best and leave the rest to fate. Especially since you’re in the ER, you’ll definitely encounter more of this in the future. By the way, I’m also considering transferring to the ER. I haven’t spoken to the director about it yet."

"That’s great news! I always hope to work with people I’m familiar with. I’m pretty informal and can be a bit reserved with new people," Liu Banxia said cheerfully.

"You? Reserved with new people?" Zhang Xiao teased, keeping a straight face. "If you really do transfer, just don’t bully me. The man who dares to pick fights with associate chief physicians and clash with directors—your fearsome reputation precedes you."

"Ah... there goes my hard-earned reputation," Liu Banxia said, then quickly made his exit. "I have to get back to the ER. If my boss can’t find me later, he’ll definitely chew me out."

He was actually a bit embarrassed; those two confrontations really weren’t something to brag about as glorious achievements.

"Finished with the patient? Go to the small conference room; the director is waiting for you there," Shi Lei said.

"Boss, can you give me a hint? What’s this about?" Liu Banxia asked curiously.

"Good news. Go ahead," Shi Lei nodded with a smile.

Liu Banxia instinctively felt there was something off about that smile. Although Shi Lei’s expression wasn’t as stern as Zhou Shuwen’s, he wasn’t someone who smiled readily either. Moreover, this meeting wasn’t in the ER office but had been moved to the small conference room. This whole thing felt rather serious.

When he knocked and entered, the sight of the people sitting in the small conference room made his scalp tingle. The Chief Director, the Deputy Director, and the heads of various departments—they packed the small conference room.

Startled, Liu Banxia naturally turned his questioning gaze to Zhou Shuwen, his ultimate boss.

"Why are you looking at me? Did you mess up again?" Zhou Shuwen retorted.

"No, no! I really haven’t messed up recently," Liu Banxia hurriedly explained.

"See? This is the kind of guy he is," Zhou Shuwen said. "Now, present your aneurysm case."

"Weren’t we supposed to discuss this at the Monday case conference?" Liu Banxia asked, somewhat surprised.

"Meaning you’re not prepared?" Zhou Shuwen glanced at him.

"I’m prepared, but I don’t have any documents with me. I can only explain it verbally," Liu Banxia quickly added, then briefly recounted the case from that day.

"Liu Banxia, what made you consider that possibility at the time?" asked Ding Wenbo, Deputy Director of Cardiology. "I’ve carefully reviewed the patient’s medical records. Considering the circumstances back then, there were no clear symptoms pointing in that direction."

"Deputy Director Ding, I wasn’t sure if I was right at the time; it was just a hunch. If it had been a different situation or a different patient, I might not have thought of it," Liu Banxia replied after a moment of thought. "Of course, if you had asked me this yesterday, I might have said it was because my extensive medical knowledge allowed me to make the diagnosis."

"Last night, Dr. Wang Huan admitted a patient to the ER. Based on the patient’s chief complaint and symptoms, the initial judgment was neurosis. However, Dr. Wang Huan suspected brucellosis was more likely based on a casual remark from the patient."

"That made me realize that diagnosing illnesses is incredibly difficult. Even though we learn about the external manifestations of some diseases from textbooks, it’s rare for a patient to present exactly as described."

"Patients have different constitutions, so the manifestation of their symptoms can vary greatly. Furthermore, many diseases have similar symptoms. So, I can only attribute it to luck."

Ding Wenbo smiled and nodded.

"Alright, just sit on the side and listen," Zhou Shuwen said.

Liu Banxia was taken aback again. This is a huge honor! Jiang Tao shot him an amused glance. So, this kid isn’t entirely fearless after all; he has his timid moments too, he thought.

Chen Zhenxing began, "Recently, we’ve had many discussions about the future of the ER, and we’ve made extensive plans for its development.

"Emergency medicine is currently a frontier discipline in the medical field. The ER plays a significant role in the overall healthcare process. Especially in our country, although ER fees are higher than outpatient clinic fees, they are still within what patients can afford. In recent years, the difficulty in accessing medical care has become increasingly prominent, leading more people to opt for the ER. Many problems have been exposed throughout this medical consultation process.

"As for whether we can be accredited as a trauma emergency center in the future, that’s not my current consideration. What I do need to consider is how to improve the ER’s service quality and treatment success rate. Liu Banxia gave me some inspiration. If our internal medicine and surgical doctors could enhance their skills—not necessarily to the level of a specialist in the other field, but enough—wouldn’t they also be able to play a role during patient consultations?

"A large portion of patients visiting the ER are trauma cases, but another portion consists of patients actively seeking medical attention for acute conditions. Many patients in our country also have a habit of delaying medical treatment, thinking they can just endure it or take some medicine at home to avoid spending money at the hospital. This is a bold experiment, and it will increase the workload for our medical staff. However, I think it’s worth trying. After all, it can benefit patients and also improve our service quality.

"You are all heads of your respective departments. The Emergency Department concerns not only the hospital administration but also each of your departments. Therefore, I hope everyone will comprehensively evaluate all applicants. Make them understand that joining the ER isn’t about getting the plaque of a trauma emergency center; it’s about treating diseases and saving lives, and they must be prepared for hardship.

"We started a bit late, and we’re now in the foundational stage. We can offer a certain degree of favorable consideration regarding salary and benefits, but what we need even more is strong support from every department.

"Alright, that’s all for this impromptu meeting today. Everyone, please go back and consider this carefully. Try to finalize the list of personnel by the end of the month."

Liu Banxia was practically boiling with excitement. He wasn’t particularly concerned about the other details; what truly mattered to him was that salaries in the Emergency Department could be increased. That was better than anything else.