CHAPTER 53: 053 EXTREME BOASTING

Du Heng was extremely reluctant to accompany the leaders. It was too annoying and bothersome. He had to put on a smiling face, which was exhausting! But he had no choice. Du Heng could only follow Song out, and Wu Buwei tagged along to see the excitement.

Li Qingde, wearing a brand-new white gown, stood at the front with a smile. He was introducing the achievements of the Health Clinic over the past few years to the leaders of the evaluation group. Seeing Du Heng appear, Li Qingde quickly took a couple of steps and pulled Du Heng to his side.

"Esteemed leaders, this is Doctor Du Heng, whom I just introduced."

"At the beginning of last month, Doctor Du actively and voluntarily participated in the National Health Records program. He single-handedly took on this glorious, sacred, and incredibly arduous task. Braving the severe cold and treading on unmelted snow, he ventured deep into the mountains, bringing light and hope to our remote villages."

Du Heng shivered slightly; he could feel goosebumps all over his arms.

"Esteemed leaders, you may not know that many villages in our Zhonghu Town are situated deep in the mountains. The farthest village is over an hour’s drive away. Moreover, the roads are narrow and badly damaged, making transportation very inconvenient. This was compounded by a heavy snowfall early last month, making conditions extremely perilous."

"However, our young doctors, Du Heng and Dr. Wu, upholding the spirit of fearlessness, tirelessness, and sacrifice, carried medicine boxes on their backs. They traveled on foot to complete the tasks assigned by the organization, safeguarding the health and lives of the ordinary people."

"During this outreach, our check-ups and prescriptions followed a completely free policy. Patients only needed to pay a small amount for their medicine to receive treatment. Furthermore, all profits were directed to the local village clinics, allowing villagers to obtain their medication conveniently nearby and saving them from unnecessary hardship and expense."

"However, these efforts led to confusion and misunderstandings among some villagers. Some even began to suspect our doctors were fraudsters, verbally abusing them and driving them away when they tried to provide doorstep medical care."

Du Heng’s left eyelid twitched violently, which was quite uncomfortable. He secretly glanced at Li Qingde, thinking, Dean, that’s enough. It wasn’t as exaggerated as you’re making it sound. Don’t overdo it, or you’ll blow it.

Li Qingde didn’t see Du Heng’s glance, or perhaps he saw it and didn’t care. He was completely immersed in the atmosphere he had woven, so deeply moved by his own narrative that he was lost in it.

"Fortunately, Du Heng and the others are good comrades! They withstood the skepticism, earned the people’s trust through their concrete actions, and achieved some modest results."

Li Qingde’s speech left the leaders feeling gratified and his colleagues filled with admiration.

As an intern, Ma Zichen could only stand with Wu Buwei at the very edge of the crowd. He listened, his blood pumping with excitement, deeply moved. While clapping, he quietly asked Wu Buwei beside him, "Wu, were you guys really working that hard?"

Wu Buwei himself was muddled by Li Qingde’s speech. He almost felt that Li Qingde was right and his own memories were mistaken. However, he still had some sense left. Hearing Ma Zichen’s question, he felt a pang of awkwardness and whispered, "Don’t interrupt when the leaders are speaking. Listen attentively."

Li Qingde’s enthusiasm continued, growing even more fervent.

"In one month, fighting on the front lines, Doctor Du completed 2,387 check-ups and prescriptions, averaging 80 patients a day. He worked from 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 or 8:00 p.m. When busy, he often couldn’t even eat lunch, just snatching a few bites by the consultation desk. Sometimes, his meal would be cold before he’d managed more than two or three mouthfuls."

"Seeing them work so hard pains me, and it pains my colleagues as well."

"With young people like Du Heng and Wu Buwei working so hard on the front lines, we, as their leaders, colleagues, and comrades-in-arms, absolutely cannot hold them back. We must also ensure they are free from any worries about the rear."

"Our Health Clinic subsequently organized personnel and established a logistics support team. This team conducts real-time follow-up visits with the patients Doctor Du has examined and treated, ensuring they receive timely and effective treatment, as well as correct guidance on medical care and medication."

Li Qingde spoke with such fervor that spittle flew, while the leaders in front of him listened with smiles. However, he failed to notice the disdainful and mocking expressions of the doctors from the District Hospital and colleagues from other health clinics standing at the very back.

Going into villages to provide treatment? Doorstep medical care? What an idiot, and he’s still here boasting about it.

Heh, exactly. Eighty patients a day? That’s pure exaggeration. Our outpatient doctors at the District Hospital see maybe thirty or forty a day, working non-stop. Eighty? Does he just glance at them and send them off? If that’s true, it’s utterly irresponsible.

Li Qingde couldn’t hear these whispered, sarcastic remarks. Nor could he see Zhang Jinlian, standing at the back of the crowd, her face contorted with a venomous expression.

"Through the close cooperation of all our colleagues at the Health Clinic, over the past month, we have cured a total of 659 typhoid patients and 315 patients with waist and leg pain."

"Furthermore, 37 patients with paralysis or hemiplegia have shown initial positive results from treatment. Among them, Old Man Zuo Shucai from Mubangou can now stand and move with his family’s assistance. Five other patients can also stand briefly with family help. The remaining patients are also recovering well. We believe that with persistent treatment, all of them will achieve success."

"Moreover, during this initiative, we also screened for and identified five cancer cases: three of gastric cancer, one of lung cancer, and one of rectal cancer. These patients have now been definitively diagnosed and have commenced treatment."

As Li Qingde reached this point, his fervent tone softened slightly. However, he failed to notice that Xu Pinglin, the Deputy Director of Digestion Department 1 at the Provincial First Hospital, who was standing with the leaders, had an incredibly grim expression.

"Perhaps everyone has already heard it. Our doctors issued over two thousand prescriptions, yet our statistics show just over one thousand. There’s a significant discrepancy in the data."

"This isn’t data falsification; it’s the reality. This is the greatest challenge our Township Hospitals currently face. The ordinary people are often reluctant to seek treatment. They don’t want to spend money; they’re pained by the expense. They tend to endure illnesses if possible, or delay seeking help, all to save money."

"In this regard, we still need you, esteemed leaders, to help us devise solutions."

"Well said, and even better done!" one of the leaders exclaimed, initiating a round of applause. He appeared to be the head of the group.

"In this new era, with its new demands, we must transform our thinking and alter our methods. We need to learn from these two young doctors and carry forward the spirit of fearlessness, tirelessness, and sacrifice, all for the sake of the people’s health..."

Everyone listened attentively as the leader spoke. But Xu Pinglin was preoccupied with other thoughts.

His presence in the evaluation group was partly due to an assignment and partly a coincidence. He could have declined such an assignment. However, not long ago, he had attended to a patient who specifically requested a screening for gastric cancer. This had surprised Xu Pinglin. Very few patients, if any, directly requested a gastric cancer screening merely due to stomach discomfort. Most were initially treated for gastritis or gastric ulcers. By the time a cancer diagnosis was made, it was often in the middle-late stages. That patient’s intention had been very clear, and the test results confirmed his suspicion. Curious, Xu Pinglin inquired further and learned that it was a Doctor Du who had referred the patient.

This piqued Xu Pinglin’s interest. Since he had an assignment to evaluate a subordinate unit and the location happened to match, he decided he wanted to meet this doctor.

He wanted to learn from him, perhaps gain some insights.

But when he saw how young Du Heng was, skepticism began to creep in. This doctor seemed far too young to be capable of diagnosing cancer.

Later, Li Qingde’s utterly shameless embellishments made Xu Pinglin completely lose patience.

These people were too shameless, too contemptible!

Praising veteran doctors was understandable; at least they had experience. But Du Heng was just too young.

Clearly, this was just some piece of trash with connections, here to get gilded.

Such occurrences were common, even among his own acquaintances.

But today, an inexplicable fury ignited and burned fiercely within him.