Chapter 468

"He wants to be discharged? Sure, just have him sign the discharge papers directly and that's it."

"Just say that arranging surgery in advance is impossible." After Fang Ziye returned to the operating room, before he even scrubbed in, he received a call from the duty doctor.

It was said that a patient in the department who was in the hospital wanted to arrange surgery in advance, claiming someone in his family was so-and-so, and that if they didn't agree, he would discharge himself and go to Tongji Union.

Upon hearing the call, Fang Ziye agreed without a second thought.

Discharge and hospitalization are both free choices; unless he is in life danger, otherwise one can only respect another's fate, right?

There are plenty of people who want to jump the queue for hospitalization, and plenty who want to jump the queue for surgery; Fang Ziye has long since gone numb to it.

"My superior said you can sign to discharge, or you can transfer to another hospital."

The sound from the speakerphone on the other end pierced his ear; Fang Ziye continued listening to the patient's reply on the other side.

"What's the matter with you, young comrade? I already told you, we've waited a long time, queued for hospitalization for a month and a half, and I finally managed to get admitted with great difficulty."

"Now you say no surgery, need to queue, and still have to queue for a week?"

"Can't you put yourself in my shoes?"

"If this were your relative, how would you feel?" The speaker was a woman, her voice sharp and capable.

Hearing this, Fang Ziye hung up the phone first, then gave up on scrubbing, stepped on the air valve sensor door to open it, and entered the operating room to report to Liu Huanglong.

"Teacher Liu, I'll go up and handle this; the duty doctor might not be able to handle it well."

"Fine, you go."

Liu Huanglong didn't even raise his head, just said: "If he wants to discharge, he discharges, signs to discharge; surgery scheduling follows the process."

"Probably he saw that we scheduled a child in advance tomorrow, so he's making a fuss."

"But this child has special circumstances; it was made clear upon admission that those over seventy-five years old, and children under ten years old, may have surgery arranged in advance at our discretion."

"If he disagrees, there's no way." Liu Huanglong was very forceful.

Fang Ziye really didn't know about the matter of a child's surgery being scheduled in advance tomorrow.

But not knowing was one thing; he couldn't directly ask Liu Huanglong who was on the operating table.

Tomorrow is Wednesday, it's Vice Professor Chen Fang's group's surgery day, so Fang Ziye called Liu Haojiang to ask clearly what the situation was with the patient scheduled for surgery in advance.

Liu Haojiang said: "Industry Brother, the patient scheduled for surgery in advance tomorrow was admitted last Friday; it's August now, right? He wants to recover somewhat before school starts, and then go study."

"Otherwise missing it would delay him a year; he also queued for a long time."

"So we comprehensively considered it and temporarily moved his surgery forward; tomorrow we'll work overtime to do one case, not affecting the normal surgery order."

Hearing this, Fang Ziye nodded: "Good, I understand."

"Haojiang, can you handle the workload on your end? If you can't handle it, tell me, I'll dispatch someone for you."

Doctor Liu Haojiang of Vice Professor Chen Fang's group is the most exhausted follow-up resident; all matters press on him alone; Fang Ziye truly feared delaying his study time.

"No problem, Industry Brother; there's already a fellow trainee helping now."

"Industry Brother, I'm still in the training room; shall we contact again later?" Liu Haojiang naturally wouldn't slack off; he felt that just because he couldn't compete with others didn't mean he should stop striving.

"Good." Fang Ziye actively hung up the phone.

When Fang Ziye appeared in the Trauma Surgery doctor's office wearing scrubs, cap, and mask, the patient and family were still arguing.

Now their spearhead was directly pointed at the 'queue jumping' matter.

"Teacher Fang." Feng Junfeng immediately hurried over to Fang Ziye's side.

The patient's family member was a woman in her thirties; she also recognized Fang Ziye: "Director Fang, your hospital can't be this unfair; everyone queued to get in, why can someone else have surgery in advance?"

"My dad is this old, and he queued for this long too; he also has heart disease, can't you give discretionary priority consideration for his surgery?"

"Let me tell you, my father has suffered all his life; we as children..."

Fang Ziye listened seriously until she finished, then said: "Sister, I don't know if you have kids, but you definitely work, right?"

"The extra surgery added tomorrow is our doctors using our rest time to add one more for him; he needs to go to school, please understand."

"And during the admission notes, we already stated that elderly patients and children under ten may have surgery arranged in advance at our discretion."

"Morning!"

Fang Ziye's words weren't finished when the woman in the denim long skirt said: "Doctor Fang, don't give me such high-sounding reasons either; my father also queued this long."

"You can work overtime to arrange surgery in advance for others, why can't you arrange it for my father?"

"If you don't give me a reasonable explanation today, I'll discharge, and I'll file a complaint against you..."

Hearing this, Fang Ziye fell silent for two seconds: "If you want to sign to discharge and go to a better hospital, that is your right; our department cannot refuse."

"But surgery sequencing is our department's internal work. Our energy is limited; each day we can at most try to guarantee two groups, four surgeries."

"If we're tired, we'll also consider resting."

"We're normal people too; we equally have the right to choose overtime or not, right?"

"Your father's is not an emergency surgery, so there is no indication that surgery must be arranged in advance."

"So, I cannot meet your request."

Fang Ziye was fed up; such big grown-ups, insisting on contending with a child.

He's going to school; he also wants surgery early, but he queued before summer break and was only scheduled for admission in August; was that easy?

Not easy.

But medical resources are limited; there's no way around it.

"But that other person isn't an emergency surgery either? How come you can..." the woman was still chattering away when.

Another patient's family member came in, a young man in his thirties; he looked left and right, then said: "Doctor Fang, cancel my child's surgery tomorrow."

"The time might be too late; I'm worried your physical condition and state aren't good enough." The young man very cautiously placed the responsibility entirely on his own side.

But his demeanor and expression, anyone with eyes could see he came to relieve the siege for Fang Ziye.

Fang Ziye looked at the young man.

The young man smiled again: "Doctor Fang, this is the result of discussion between me and my family; sorry for the trouble."

The young man finished speaking and left again.

Patients have the right to informed consent and informed refusal; if he says he wants to cancel the surgery, a single sentence is enough.

Fang Ziye sighed lightly: "Madam, you should have nothing left to say now, right?"

The woman before Fang Ziye rolled her eyes a few times, then suddenly said: "Doctor Fang, my father is willing to have the surgery in the evening; his willingness for surgery is extremely strong, and we also trust your surgical technique and surgical schedule."

"Anyway, a surgery slot has opened up now; whoever does it is the same, right? Doctor Fang." The woman smiled radiantly, her tone slightly fawning.

Fang Ziye couldn't help but admire her mental agility and her shameless temper.

"I'm afraid that can't be arranged."

"I have to go to surgery; in our department right now, all surgeries are arranged according to the queue, so you shouldn't have any opinions either." Fang Ziye finished speaking.

Then he said to Feng Junfeng: "Junfeng, call the operating room and say tomorrow Associate Professor Chen's Group's third surgery is cancelled."

Fang Ziye didn't have much emotional fluctuation.

Not suffering from scarcity but from inequality.

For this arrangement, the department also bears some responsibility.

Everyone is queuing; what does someone else's child wanting to do something have to do with oneself?

"Doctor Fang, how can it not be arranged? Didn't you just arrange it a moment ago?" the woman said.

Fang Ziye countered: "If I arranged your father, I guarantee someone else would definitely come make trouble; what would I do then?"

"So it can't be arranged. Sister, your appearance is the best lesson; I made a mistake once, I definitely won't make a second one."

"I have to go to surgery." Fang Ziye finished speaking and turned back.

The woman rushed forward, teasing in a low voice: "You're just a small physician, what are you so arrogant about?"

"Letting you arrange it in advance was giving you face; you think if you don't agree, I can't arrange it?"

"This world isn't as simple as you imagine."

Fang Ziye heard this and said: "I follow my superior's orders."

"But I have to go to surgery now; if you want to be discharged, Madam, you can go directly to the duty doctor to handle it; if you have other requests, we'll try our best to accommodate. But the matter of arranging surgery in advance definitely cannot be arranged."

"I have to go to surgery."

Fang Ziye finished speaking and left.

The woman, somewhat provocatively, started making a phone call right in front of Fang Ziye, and walked with him all the way to the elevator lobby, only then going into the pedestrian passage to avoid suspicion.

At least she still knew to avoid suspicion.

Fang Ziye shook his head lightly, then walked toward the elevator hall.

……

"Teacher Liu, tomorrow Associate Professor Chen's Group's third surgery, the patient's family requested to cancel the surgery themselves, and will queue again." Fang Ziye reported.

Liu Huanglong heard this, raised his head in a daze, thought for a moment, then sighed: "It's hard to be a good person; in a hospital, it's even harder to be a good person."

"This child's family is reasonable."

"It's just the child will probably have to delay another half month, and only be able to report to school in mid-September."

Fang Ziye fell silent, then turned and went out to scrub in.

Liu Huanglong and the others didn't say anything either; if Fang Ziye were to go on stage, the lead surgeon authority would definitely have to be given to Fang Ziye first.

And Fang Ziye hadn't done surgery for several days, probably itching to do it.

……

Because of Fang Ziye's intervention, the surgery was advanced by at least one and a half hours, ending the entire procedure at 5:20 PM today.

After finishing the surgery, Fang Ziye re-checked the patient's mobility condition once more, then said: "Tian Luo, send the patient back to the ward; pay attention, postoperative orders must be meticulous."

"Remember to add hormone IV drip to reduce nerve edema." Fang Ziye instructed once.

"Okay, Senior Brother." Lan Tianluo pushed the foot of the bed somewhat happily, watching Luo Tingzhu pull the head of the bed, the two of them together with the circulating nurse sending the patient toward the department.

After Liu Huanglong took off his gloves, he smiled and said: "Congratulations, Doctor Fang, how's your mood after getting the award certificate?"

"Not bad." Fang Ziye picked up his phone while walking side by side with Liu Huanglong out the door.

Today is Yuan Weihong's surgery day, but Yuan Weihong had something at home in the afternoon, so he didn't appear in the operating room.

Behind the two of them, Nie Mingxian and Wu Xuanqi immediately accelerated and rushed out, clearly intending to rush to the animal lab to practice frantically after the surgery ended.

"Just 'not bad'?" Liu Huanglong watched Wu Xuanqi's back view while asking further.

"Then it should be 'very good'." Fang Ziye said.

Liu Huanglong nodded: "Mm, keep your mindset good, don't let department matters affect your own mood."

"Good things come in pairs, two provincial-level awards, tsk tsk, Ziye, your foundation is getting thicker and thicker."

Fang Ziye heard this and rubbed his nose: "Teacher Liu, my current accumulation probably doesn't count as foundation yet? At most it's a bit of accumulation."

Luo Tingzhu recently just popularized the word 'foundation' for Fang Ziye: inner reserves; details; the connotation of things; cultural cultivation.

None of them match Fang Ziye at all.

Liu Huanglong heard this, paused, pondered for a moment, then said: "Indeed, Ziye you still don't have a team uniquely your own; the current team is basically assembled."

Liu Huanglong's words were very blunt; Fang Ziye's team now, ultimately Teacher Deng has his own plate of affairs, Yuan Weihong will also have his own student team later.

After Fang Ziye grows up, it will be like a rural family splitting up, temporarily splitting off.

Nie Mingxian need not be mentioned; he won't be subordinate to others. Wu Xuanqi and he Liu Huanglong are ultimately just passersby.

Fang Ziye's fellow trainees Jie Han and Lan Tianluo have even less of a team relationship with Fang Ziye.

Between fellow disciples, they will ultimately go their separate ways later.

Of course, the ones who can most count as Fang Ziye's team members are Jie Han and Lan Tianluo...

"But an assembled team is still a team. Later, as long as you get along well enough and don't fall out, there's still a chance for mutual benefit." Liu Huanglong gave Fang Ziye another piece of guidance.

"Thank you, Teacher Liu, I think so too."

Fang Ziye followed Liu Huanglong walking slowly again, tilting his head slightly: "But I don't think that way. A fluid team might be superior to an absolutely fixed team."

"Why do you say that?" Liu Huanglong found it a bit unexpected.

"I can't really explain it either. I just have that feeling." Fang Ziye couldn't explain clearly for a moment.

……

After parting with Liu Huanglong, Fang Ziye sent a message to Luo Tingzhu. Telling her to go back first, he still needed to go check the ward.

How that patient ultimately chose this afternoon, what the situation is now — he, as Chief Resident, couldn't just wash his hands of it.

Because once trouble started, letting a Duty Doctor and a Professional Master's Fellow Trainee take the fall — that wasn't Fang Ziye's character, and no teacher had taught him that way.

Whether it was Li Nuo the Chief Resident when Fang Ziye first arrived at Zhongnan Hospital, or Brother Jin who took office later — neither had ever done such a thing.

Fang Ziye really arrived at just the right moment — right now the family was arguing with the On-duty Physician—

And seeing Fang Ziye appear, the old man's daughter seemed to have grabbed a lifeline: "Doctor Fang, perfect timing. I've finally found someone to reason with."

"We were already hospitalized before, right? The condition isn't resolved yet, so we definitely need to continue inpatient treatment. But the Duty Doctor says we need to keep queuing…"

When Fang Ziye looked at Feng Junfeng, Feng Junfeng immediately pushed up his glasses and reported: "Industry Brother, they've already completed discharge procedures, settled the bill, and the medical records and orders are all finalized for discharge."

"Senior Brother Li already notified the new patient to come for admission, and admission procedures are done. Now they say they want to be readmitted — where would a bed come from?"

"Right now all beds in the department are full."

Fang Ziye understood — meaning the woman had indeed processed discharge for her father, originally planning to go to a better hospital, but unexpectedly no hospital was willing to accept, so she came back.

The woman's expression was a bit embarrassed, her tone evasive: "Doctor Fang, I was indeed confused before. In an impulse I processed discharge — that was my mistake."

"Please, considering my father's advanced age and limited mobility, could you accommodate us a bit? Don't make us queue again…"

As the woman spoke, her tone was exceptionally cautious, respectful and deferential.

Since Fang Ziye left, she had called through her entire network, but when it finally reached Zhongnan Hospital's Administrative Leadership, everyone's reply was the same: specialty surgery sequencing is naturally arranged by specialty doctors.

Everyone is queuing — how can special treatment work?

However Doctor Fang arranges it, that's how you queue. Trying to jump the queue is unfair to others.

Yes, the woman heard very clearly — three Zhongnan Hospital Administrative Leaders all specifically mentioned Doctor Fang's name, their wording strangely consistent.

And the woman was very certain her friends had indeed called them, but they didn't give an inch of face.

As the saying goes, when things go abnormal there must be a demon. The woman thought back and forth, feeling Trauma Surgery had "rare goods to hoard."

Wanting to go to Tongji and Peking Union for admission, after processing discharge she started calling again, but the replies left her stunned.

Acquaintances at Tongji and Peking Union Medical College Hospital had all been asked — they said for this disease, that side currently has no routine practice, temporarily cannot accept such patients.

If they have inpatient surgery needs, they might have to wait until year-end for admission…

And the other side even recommended Zhongnan Hospital's Doctor Fang Ziye.

What does this mean?

Even as impulsive and brainless as the woman was, she realized something was wrong, hurriedly returning from outside Zhongnan Hospital back upstairs.

Just her making such a fuss — the bed she originally occupied was given to the next inpatient in line…

After listening, Fang Ziye looked at the old man. Sparse hair, half-white, face full of age spots, sitting in a wheelchair, whole person curled up, looking a bit at a loss right now.

Perhaps not only because treatment needs massive medical fees, but also his daughter's blunder made him lose composure.

"How about this, Sister. You come for admission tomorrow, okay? Today our hospital is indeed full."

"The remaining emergency beds cannot be used arbitrarily. In case emergency patients need urgent admission and there's no bed."

"Today discharge procedures can't be processed either. Wait until tomorrow when a patient discharges, you get first priority to readmit — this is the only relatively good solution!" Fang Ziye suggested politely.

"This?" The woman's face showed it was a bit troublesome.

Fang Ziye continued: "This is the best solution. We doctors can't drive people away, you equally can't do that. When problems arise, our first choice is to solve them, right?"

"Thank you, Doctor Fang." The woman considered cautiously for a round, finally deciding to agree to Fang Ziye's suggestion.

No other reason — today she truly witnessed Fang Ziye's "hidden charm."

She pulled so many connections, yet not a single person said they'd proactively call Fang Ziye to have him arrange surgery in advance.

Directly before this information point of Fang Ziye, they unified their stance.

Such a situation — either Fang Ziye's family background is prominent, or Fang Ziye is quite special in the current hospital, almost no one dares to easily offend him.

For a doctor to reach this step isn't easy. After all, even famous professors are worldly people, need certain human relations.

But at Fang Ziye's place, it's as if human relations proactively surrendered before him.

"Sorry about that. Troubling you to go home or rest nearby for a night. Tomorrow morning, I'll have the sequencing admission doctor call you." Fang Ziye said.

Fang Ziye didn't want extra complications. If by principle, Fang Ziye could give them a hard time, make them re-queue.

But their first queue was genuinely waited through. Admission isn't easy — understanding is still needed.

"Thanks." The woman finished, then turned back: "Dad, let's go rest nearby for a night first. Come back for admission tomorrow."

The old man smiled at Fang Ziye, said politely to his daughter: "Good!"

"……"

After the woman left with her father, Feng Junfeng wiped cold sweat from his forehead, let out a breath: "Senior Brother, still you who can handle it. This patient's family is really too difficult."

"You don't know. Before you came, her attitude was arrogant."

"If it were me, I'd definitely make them re-queue."

Fang Ziye nodded: "People all make mistakes. As long as it's not a principle error or crossing the bottom line, we also don't need to make things too absolute."

While Fang Ziye and Feng Junfeng chatted, an old man who had already finished surgery walked over, leaning on a walking aid.

He should be in his sixties. Whole person looked spirited, posture straight, an indescribable masculine vigor.

Beside him accompanied his wife — cheongsam, black hair, elegant bearing. Only facial wrinkles betrayed her true age.

"Doctor Fang, no trouble encountered?" The old man's voice was very gentle.

"No no, Grandpa. Your recovery is pretty good. Persisting like this, should be another ten days or so before you can ditch the walking aid." Fang Ziye replied busily.

This old man's background is no small matter; his basic information is all code, and his real age was something he himself voluntarily revealed.

Those who can be treated this way are basically all big-shot-level figures.

Fang Ziye is unwilling to let any "conflict" exist between patients; this is a hospital, not some business venue or other people's workplace struggle ground, a hospital should be more pure.

"I also feel this leg is much more relaxed; it's been many years since I've felt the tendons and bones of this leg, now I can feel them very clearly." The old man loves exercise, and right now he is even demonstrating ankle rotation exercises to Fang Ziye.

He looks simple and unadorned, and his smile is also extremely sincere.

(Chapter End)