CHAPTER 154: 154 THORNY ISSUES

"Officer, are you looking to negotiate compensation privately, or do you intend to press charges?" one of the police officers asked the patient.

"Officer, we’ll negotiate it ourselves. Thank you for your trouble," the injured patient said.

"Alright. If your negotiations are unsuccessful, you can come to us again," the police officer nodded.

"What exactly happened? Why are so many people here?" Liu Banxia asked after the police officers had left.

"They were helping to catch a criminal. During the struggle with the criminal, he escaped and accidentally knocked into some handicrafts, cutting his wrist," Qiaoqiao said with utmost seriousness.

"Why are you so naughty? It’s a good thing he agreed to a private settlement; otherwise, you all would have been in serious trouble," Liu Banxia said.

"Hmph, he wouldn’t dare refuse a private settlement. I was the one who called the police. If he has the guts, let his family come and get him. We’ll see what kind of trash he really is," Qiaoqiao said disdainfully.

Liu Banxia was quite surprised; he hadn’t expected Qiaoqiao, who seemed so fierce, to also have some brains. It appeared she wasn’t entirely brainless, just prone to being muddle-headed at times.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Qiaoqiao asked, puzzled.

"It’s nothing. Those who are fine can go back. I see a few are injured; let’s treat them," Liu Banxia said.

"That’s precisely why I had them come over. With you here, we won’t be tricked," Qiaoqiao nodded.

"I despise this kind of harassment the most. If the girl had genuinely developed feelings for him, then I wouldn’t meddle. But she clearly expressed her disapproval, and he still kept touching her inappropriately. People like that need to be beaten every time they’re caught, or they’ll never learn."

"You’re truly righteous, ma’am," Liu Banxia said, giving her a thumbs-up.

"Naturally. The money earned working for our family is honest money, so we must also act honestly," Qiaoqiao said proudly.

The employees she brought were incredibly surprised by her attitude when speaking with Liu Banxia; they knew very well how explosive their boss Qiaoqiao’s temper was.

Otherwise, this minor incident today, which could have been resolved with just an apology, wouldn’t have escalated into a fight over a couple of sentences.

"Dr. Liu, come over here for a moment." Just then, Xu Dan beckoned to him from a short distance away, her face tense.

"What is it?" Liu Banxia walked over and asked.

"The patient’s HIV test is positive," Xu Dan said nervously.

Liu Banxia’s heart skipped a beat. He’d been at Second Hospital for so long, yet this was the first time he’d encountered such a situation.

"The lab ran two HIV tests, and both were positive," Xu Dan added.

"Okay, I understand. Report it to the CDC. Wash your own hands thoroughly. This is troublesome; I don’t know if any of those people’s wounds came into contact with his blood," Liu Banxia said.

"Dr. Liu, he also went to a bath center. Could it be transmitted there too?" Xu Dan asked.

"Under normal circumstances, it should be fine. However, it’s still advisable to recommend they thoroughly disinfect the items used by this patient," Liu Banxia said with a wry smile.

This matter was now very tricky. Not only did they need to enhance protective measures during any procedures, but it also involved the obligation to maintain patient confidentiality. Regulations stipulated that, apart from the medical personnel involved, only the patient could be notified of the test results. But for the group Qiaoqiao had brought, this news could cause an uproar. For ordinary people, this was absolutely terrifying news. And this seemed to involve the principle of doctor-patient confidentiality; he could only seek Wei Yuan’s opinion.

"Banxia, this matter isn’t actually that complicated," Wei Yuan said with a smile after listening.

"First, you can explain to the patient clearly. Regardless of whether he was aware of his condition beforehand, we must treat it as if he wasn’t and fulfill our obligation to inform him. Second, since bleeding occurred, there is a certain risk of transmission. Therefore, regardless of the patient’s subjective willingness, we also need to be responsible for the other patients."

"Tell him this, and he should mostly understand. Then there won’t be much else to it. The key is to pacify the emotions of those people; you need to pay close attention to this point."

Liu Banxia nodded. He had been genuinely muddled just now; Wei Yuan had helped him straighten out the connections.

"Your blood has tested positive for HIV. You understand what this means, don’t you?" Liu Banxia said, walking over to the patient.

The patient, stunned for a moment, nodded.

"Then I won’t waste any more words. Those people definitely got some of your blood on them. So, I need to inform them of this situation, and they also require thorough cleaning and testing," Liu Banxia continued.

"Do you absolutely have to tell them? If you do, won’t everyone know then?" the patient asked.

Liu Banxia frowned. "While we are obligated to protect patient privacy, this is no longer an ordinary incident. All patients are equal in our eyes. If we don’t alert them, and they genuinely get infected too, do you think this transmission chain will be large or small?"

"This is already beyond the scope of the confidentiality principle. Otherwise, you might be committing a crime. However, considering the current situation, we will not notify anyone else; we will only report it to the CDC as per regulations."

"You will receive comprehensive and appropriate treatment here; you don’t need to worry about that aspect. However, I still advise you to be responsible for yourself in the future."

"It’s not as terrifying now as it was before; taking blocking agents will be fine. Moreover, you also need a follow-up test, and we still need to see the results of the CDC’s re-examination."

The patient nodded, knowing he had no other choice now.

After resolving the issue with this patient, Liu Banxia went over to Qiaoqiao and her group. He didn’t choose to speak directly but instead led Qiaoqiao aside.

"What did you say? That son-of-a-bitch, good-for-nothing!" As soon as Liu Banxia explained, Qiaoqiao exploded.

"First, don’t get agitated. It’s not that terrifying. And even if it can be transmitted through blood, the chances of them contracting it are very small."

"Isn’t this just harming people?" Qiaoqiao said.

"Let’s not talk about whether it’s harming people or not for now. Later, you should inform your place to carry out a comprehensive disinfection. It’s actually not a big deal," Liu Banxia said.

"Then, you help comfort them emotionally. We will carefully clean the areas contaminated with blood. Those with open wounds will also undergo testing. Basically, none of them will contract it; this is just required by regulations."

"No, I have to go talk to him," Qiaoqiao said, turning and heading towards the patient.

Liu Banxia got a fright and instinctively reached out to grab Qiaoqiao’s shoulder. This girl was not to be trifled with; with a twist of her shoulder, he grabbed nothing but air.

Absolutely helpless, Liu Banxia took a step forward and wrapped his arms around Qiaoqiao’s waist, lifting her up. He was genuinely worried that if they roughed up the patient again and he insisted on suing them, it would truly be enough for a criminal sentence.

Qiaoqiao had a violent temper too; even when Liu Banxia picked her up, her two legs didn’t stay idle, kicking about relentlessly.

Liu Banxia was incredibly vexed. One HIV-positive patient was tricky enough; the trickiest part was actually this girl.