Chapter 2609: 2516 Pediatrics Emergency

Su Yun glanced at the extracted hair less than 3 cm long and the box Zheng Ren Gang had just brought, feeling somewhat torn between laughter and tears.

"Boss, do you think you're making a mountain out of a molehill?"

"It's necessary." Zheng Ren insisted, "We must cut through the stratum corneum to properly extract the hair."

While saying this, Zheng Ren rinsed the instruments with clean water. Although there was no bleeding or contamination, the habitual procedure still needed to be done.

Su Yun shrugged her shoulders, indicating her opposite opinion.

……

……

In the Intervention Department's office, Gao Shaojie and Gu Xiao Ran were still busy in an orderly manner.

Gu Xiao Ran was very focused and conscientious.

He had only a few months left before returning home; his further training would end after the New Year, but he had to say goodbye here before the New Year, go back to his hometown without first reporting to the hospital, and spend a peaceful year at home.

He cherished every moment in Di Du, working and studying with wholehearted dedication.

The phone rang, but Gu Xiao Ran didn't notice it right away; only after three or five seconds did he realize it was his own phone.

Even writing a medical record required full concentration; Gu Xiao Ran smiled. But he couldn't afford to be inattentive, as Sister Yue was extremely strict, even austere.

Now all the trainee doctors could still smile and greet Zheng Lao Ban when they saw him, but upon seeing Chang Yue they lowered their heads honestly, too afraid even to look, let alone meet her gaze.

"Sanzi, what's up?"

"Uh... is it serious?"

"Just a moment, just a moment, I'll get in touch right away."

Gu Xiao Ran was somewhat flustered; he hung up the phone and then dialed another number.

"Don't panic, Xiao Ran." Gao Shaojie saw Gu Xiao Ran's hand trembling; without even looking he knew he was about to cry, and immediately tried to reassure him.

"No, no." Gu Xiao Ran said with his mouth, but in fact he had already begun to feel somewhat flustered.

"What's going on?"

"Teacher Gao, please wait a moment." Gu Xiao Ran said as soon as the call connected: "Zheng Lao Ban, a friend's child accidentally got burned, after simple treatment his condition worsened a few hours later, and now he's unconscious; the hospital back home says the child might not make it."

"......" Gao Shaojie's eyebrows furrowed.

"It's not far; if there's no traffic, it can be reached in three hours."

"I'll have them send the person over right away."

Gu Xiao Ran hung up the phone in a fluster and began contacting his friend again.

Gao Shaojie understood: the child had been burned but not taken to the hospital, had been at home only a short time, and now his condition was poor.

The purpose of contacting Gu Xiao Ran was to see if he could find a solution, so Gu Xiao Ran directly called Zheng Lao Ban.

Sending the child to Di Du is a solution. The pediatric level of local hospitals…… not to mention the level, there aren't even enough qualified staff. Of course, those hired by lowering standards, or veterinarians who switched careers, don't count.

In recent years, over ten thousand pediatric doctors nationwide have resigned, abandoning this thankless, arduous specialty without hesitation to pursue other industries.

Many local tertiary hospitals' pediatric departments can barely maintain, but the workload of medical staff has already reached a certain extent; they could collapse at any time due to a doctor falling ill or some trivial matter.

Moreover, some hospitals' pediatric emergency departments have already closed, further causing patient volume to reach a certain level. Added to the increase in patient numbers after the two-child policy was opened, positive and negative forces have dragged pediatrics into an unfathomable abyss.

The pediatric capability of 912 is average, but that's compared to the Women and Children's Hospital. Seeking Zheng Lao Ban for this is still appropriate; even if the child's condition is particularly severe and 912 can't handle it, Zheng Lao Ban can still consult the Women and Children's Hospital for joint diagnosis and treatment.

Gao Shaojie saw Gu Xiao Ran's hand shaking uncontrollably and sighed inwardly. This kid is fine in every way, just too pure. At his age, he wants to cry at the slightest thing.

He also didn't know when Gu Xiao Ran would mature.

After finishing the calls, Gu Xiao Ran put his phone away, roughly wiped his face with his hand, then stood up and went to the sink to wash his face.

"Xiao Ran, stay calm." Gao Shaojie said: "Your friend's child? How old is he?"

"It's my classmate's child, probably under three years old." Gu Xiao Ran said: "They said he was already unconscious, but the family thought he was asleep. They didn't wake him for lunch at noon; in the afternoon they saw him still sleeping, felt something was off, discovered they couldn't wake him, and then they all panicked."

Gao Shaojie sighed. If that's the case, who knows how long treatment has been delayed. He also didn't know whether the child could be saved, or whether……

He didn't want to think too much, after all it's a child under three years old.

"Teacher Gao, driving from my hometown to Di Du takes just two hours on the expressway; do you think the child can make it smoothly?" Gu Xiao Ran asked anxiously.

Gao Shaojie didn't speak; everyone knows what Di Du is like. Two hours later, it's exactly the rush hour for getting off work in Di Du, and with traffic jams, just being stuck on Di Du's spiderweb-like roads for a few hours would prevent even an ambulance from arriving.

For every minute the unconscious child is stuck on the roads of Di Du, he steps closer to death.

Perhaps by the time they reach 912, the child is already beyond saving.

After a long sigh, Gao Shaojie didn't utter any of the worrisome, anxious thoughts, but instead comforted Gu Xiao Ran.

"Xiao Ran, you're both from the same city; couldn't you be treated better locally?" Chang Yue asked.

"Sister Yue, don't bring it up." Gu Xiao Ran said: "In our city, among the four somewhat larger hospitals, three of their pediatric departments don't even have enough staff for ward duty."

"How can it be so serious?" Chang Yue blinked in surprise.

"Just bad luck." Gu Xiao Ran's eyes were a bit red; he felt very panicked inside, but he struggled to suppress his flustered, upset emotions and said: "In recent years, the pediatric department has had one mishap after another. At the neighboring hospital, a nurse, because she didn't even insert a needle, was kicked in the back by the child's grandfather."

Gao Shaojie and Chang Yue both stopped their work and quietly listened to Gu Xiao Ran's story.

"He bumped his head against the wall, and then things blew up. Afterwards the hospital had no explanation…… well, there was an explanation: they thought the nurse's professional skills were lacking, causing this medical dispute, so they deducted three months' bonus from the person involved and made her apologize to the child's family."

Gao Shaojie and Chang Yue remained silent.

Other groups in the office also listened quietly; this practice of sweeping issues under the rug is very common—just cover the lid, regardless of right or wrong.

"Later that nurse stood up straight and went straight to court to sue, but in the end it seemed to come to nothing." Gu Xiao Ran said, "Afterward she resigned, and then four more pediatric nurses from that hospital quit, leaving the whole ward paralyzed."

Gu Xiao Ran isn't exaggerating; if five frontline nurses quit and the ward didn't become paralyzed, that would be a miracle.

Pediatrics isn't just an ordinary department; nurses transferred from other departments can't simply be put to use right away—they need several weeks of training at the very least.