CHAPTER 354: 330 PRETENTIOUS PEOPLE

The District Hospital’s practices over the past few months had been rather repulsive, not only to ordinary people but also to the First-tier Medical Institutions within its sphere of influence.

Their current policy was to refuse transfers for any procedure short of brain or heart surgery, insisting patients receive treatment at the District Hospital. If patients and their families strongly objected, the hospital wouldn’t issue a transfer form, forcing them to seek treatment at a Class A hospital at their own full expense.

This transfer form was no small matter for these rural families; the financial difference was enormous. Farmers within the jurisdiction could get 85% to 90% of their medical expenses reimbursed if treated at a local Health Clinic, and 70% to 80% if treated at the District Hospital. With a transfer form, reimbursement at a Class A hospital was around 80%. Without it, the rate plummeted to 40% or even lower. For a surgical procedure, this could mean a difference of tens of thousands of yuan. For rural families whose entire annual income, assuming they spent nothing on food or drink, was merely thirty to forty thousand yuan, who would willingly pay that extra sum, especially when they likely didn’t have it?

Thus, the District Hospital had a firm grip on any local resident needing surgery.

Lu Zhongjiang joined in criticizing the District Hospital, adding, "I hear the complaints against them have piled sky-high. How come the Bureau hasn’t stepped in?"

Du Heng leaned back against the sofa, a helpless expression on his face. "How can they intervene? They can’t. While the District Hospital’s methods are unreasonable, they are perfectly compliant with regulations. Legally, no fault can be found."

"We’ll just have to rely on our own efforts then," Lu Zhongjiang said with a sigh.

"Yes," Du Heng agreed. "That’s what I’ve always aimed to do."

In the time that followed, the two meticulously discussed the details of their collaboration with the Municipal First Hospital and the Provincial First Hospital. They became so engrossed in their conversation that they were still discussing it over lunch.

However, a phone call interrupted their train of thought.

Du Heng picked up his phone. When he saw "Lawyer Ms. Zhou" on the caller ID, his heart skipped a beat. Oh no, this is bad! He suddenly remembered the court hearing was this afternoon. He’d been so swamped lately that such a major event had completely slipped his mind.

Du Heng signaled Lu Zhongjiang to wait and quickly answered the phone. "Ms. Zhou, I’m so sorry. I’ve been incredibly busy, and this completely slipped my mind."

He had expected Ms. Zhou to be angry or at least complain, but to his surprise, she showed no sign of irritation. Instead, she spoke softly, "Doctor Du, are you very busy?"

"Yes, a bit. Too many miscellaneous things to deal with, and I got muddled," Du Heng apologized sincerely. "Ms. Zhou, I’ll head over right away. Will I make it in time?"

Ms. Zhou chuckled lightly on the other end. "Doctor Du, you can trust me. You don’t need to come. You can leave it entirely to me and focus on your work."

Du Heng paused. "Is that really okay?"

"Of course," Ms. Zhou explained. "Besides, in my experience, today’s hearing won’t yield a verdict. There will likely be another one. You can just come when the final judgment is delivered."

Du Heng was overjoyed at this unexpected turn. "I trust you completely, Ms. Zhou. Please proceed as you see fit."

Ms. Zhou chuckled again, her tone remarkably relaxed, as if she were heading for an outing rather than a court battle. "You won’t blame me if I lose, will you?"

Her laughter eased Du Heng’s tension, and he laughed along. "Of course not, but in that case, I wouldn’t pay your legal fees! Haha. Thank you for your trouble today, Ms. Zhou."

"Thank you for your trust, Doctor Du," Ms. Zhou’s laughter softened a little. "Doctor Du, there will likely be a pre-trial mediation. Should we agree to it?"

"What are your thoughts?"

"I have one hundred percent confidence in this case."

Du Heng gripped his phone tightly and said in a grave voice, "Then no settlement. We must file a countersuit against her."

"Alright, I understand."

"Thank you for your trouble, Ms. Zhou."

Not having to attend the hearing in person was a great relief to Du Heng. However, the phone call had dampened any further interest he and Lu Zhongjiang had in continuing their discussion. So, while Du Heng was on the phone, Lu Zhongjiang picked up his teacup and wandered over to the adjacent renovation site.

After hanging up, Du Heng didn’t linger in his office either. He headed towards the inpatient department to check on the progress of the three newcomers.

When Du Heng arrived at a ward, however, he didn’t find them treating patients. Instead, he saw Wu Buwei trying to explain moxibustion to a patient and their family member.

"Let’s just skip the moxibustion. That little lit moxa stick could burn someone," a female family member said just as Du Heng walked in. "Besides, after moxibustion, I’ve seen it leaves yellow smoke stains that are very hard to clean. Let’s not do it."

Wu Buwei, who looked like he had been explaining for a quite some time, heard her words and seemed ready to give up. He was about to turn and leave with his supplies when he spotted Du Heng at the doorway. "Senior."

Du Heng acknowledged him with a sound and walked into the hospital room. After a brief check-up of the patient, he asked, "What’s going on?"

Wu Buwei looked completely helpless. "This patient’s family doesn’t want him to have moxibustion."

"Oh?" Du Heng turned to look the female family member up and down. "Why do you object to moxibustion? It promotes the flow of qi and activates blood circulation, which aids your father’s recovery. Furthermore, a doctor or nurse is always present during the procedure. It’s also administered only every other day, so it won’t harm your father’s skin."

The female family member looked very reluctant. Her father had been admitted just yesterday, and his treatment had only begun today. She could tolerate acupuncture, but the sight of the dark moxa sticks on other people, and the yellowish smoke stains left after moxibustion, made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

"That stuff looks so dark, and the smoke stains are too obvious. It just doesn’t look sanitary."

Du Heng glanced at the moxa stick in Wu Buwei’s hand and explained softly, "This is a moxa stick we make ourselves from moxa floss. Its appearance and color might not look very appealing. However, if you don’t like this type, we also have another kind, a pre-made moxa column. Its effect is slightly weaker, and it costs a little more."

The woman’s eyes flickered. "Will that leave smoke stains?"

Du Heng’s eyes narrowed slightly. This woman is rather particular, he mused. Although she had mentioned the fear of burns, their brief conversation revealed that her primary concern wasn’t actually her father getting burned, nor was it the cost. It was whether the moxa was clean.

With this realization, Du Heng took another look at the patient’s bed and noticed that all the bedding—not just the superficial items like duvet covers, bedsheets, and pillowcases, but even the actual quilts and pillows—were their own from home. Du Heng couldn’t see the mattress pad beneath, but given the situation, he guessed that had been swapped out too.

Du Heng couldn’t help but ask, "May I ask, where did you put the hospital’s bedding?"

The woman glanced at the bed, then pointed to a nearby cabinet. "I put it all in there."

Before Du Heng could say anything, one of the new young doctors who had just arrived walked over and opened the cabinet she indicated. The cabinets, purchased by Li Qingde, were quite spacious, regardless of their quality. When opened, it was stuffed full with the hospital’s mattress pad, quilt, and pillow.

Du Heng glanced inside, then said to the woman, "Ma’am, it’s fine if you use your own bedding. However, I must inform you in advance that the treatment, aside from acupuncture, also involves ointments. This treatment might stain your sheets and duvet cover."

"That’s alright, I know."

"Also, we are responsible for maintaining the hygiene of the ward daily, including the cleanliness of the bedding. If you choose to use your own items, you’ll need to be responsible for tidying them up yourself each day. Our nurses will not handle them."

The woman hesitated for a moment but then nodded, indicating she understood.

Du Heng continued, "Returning to our earlier topic, I still recommend moxibustion treatment for your father. Based on our recent experience, using moxa sticks can speed up a patient’s discharge by about a week."

The woman hesitated, then looked at her father on the bed. "Dad, do you want to do it or not?"

The patient was suffering from post-stroke sequelae, including hemiplegia and impaired speech. Hearing his daughter’s question, he slowly shook his head without a moment’s hesitation.

Du Heng understood without needing the daughter to translate. This father and daughter are both rather particular, Du Heng thought, deciding not to press the matter further. After a few brief words, he led Wu Buwei and the others to the next hospital room.

Reminded by the previous encounter, Du Heng now paid special attention to the bedsheets and duvet covers in the wards. It was only then he discovered that many patients had replaced the Health Clinic’s linens with their own from home.

He hadn’t really noticed this before. Du Heng felt a figurative toothache. These people aren’t just physically ill; there’s something wrong with their heads too!

Where do they think this is? he fumed internally. This is a hospital, a place for treating illnesses—arguably one of the least sterile environments! Some less mobile patients eat, drink, and relieve themselves right in the ward. Most of them are elderly and suffer from various diseases. At times, the entire ward echoes with the sounds of coughing and spitting. And they think using their own bedding in an environment like this is cleaner?

Honestly, if they’re going to change things, they should do it thoroughly like that previous patient’s family—replace the mattress pad and quilt itself, not just the covers. Otherwise, their own pillowcases and sheets are probably dirtier than the Health Clinic’s, which are at least sterilized after every wash.

Seeing that Wu Buwei and the others were managing well, Du Heng left them to it and went to find Wang Lili. I’ve been so focused on admitting patients and the Health Clinic’s overall development that I’ve neglected the wards, where problems most easily arise, he reflected.

When Wang Lili heard Du Heng out, she felt terribly wronged. "I’ve told the patients about this repeatedly, but many of them just don’t listen! No sooner do I change the bedding back than they swap it out again. Such a fussy bunch! I really don’t know where they pick up these habits."

Du Heng paid no mind to Wang Lili’s venting. "Be firmer. If the bedding needs changing, change it. If they object, tell them to come see me. If this trend continues and becomes ingrained, I’m afraid you’ll lose control of your Nursing Department."