Chapter 521

November 15, Bai and his wife finished their studies and returned to Nanyuan City. They never expected that, as soon as they got off the plane, they were greeted with the Municipal Discipline Inspection Committee's 'detention'! The sudden 'bad news' was like an icy shackle that instantly sank their originally relaxed and happy mood to the bottom of the valley; Bai's face turned deathly pale in an instant, his eyes revealing undisguised fear, his legs went weak, and he collapsed directly onto the ground……

Through interrogation, it was learned that Bai met Zhang, the general manager of Huihui Company, at the work annual meeting, thereby 'colluding in wrongdoing', and over five years he accepted bribes amounting to over 8 million yuan.

Through Bai's efforts, Zhang also came to know the hospital Party Committee secretary, the hospital director, the pharmacy director, and other attending physicians of various hospitals, thereby expanding his business scope; everyone was 'rolling in wealth'.

The Public Security Bureau swiftly arrested Zhang, followed the leads, waged a roundabout campaign, pursued the victory, and sought out other hospitals' 'fish that slipped through the net'.

On the evening of November 20, with lights just beginning to shine, the Municipal Party Committee convened an emergency standing committee meeting; the attending leaders wore solemn and focused expressions, holding documents in their hands, their eyes occasionally meeting, sensing that a storm was imminent. The meeting deliberated and approved the Municipal Discipline Inspection Committee's opinions on handling corruption cases in the medical field.

On the morning of November 21, the Municipal Discipline Inspection Committee took the lead, drafting over 40 personnel, with the cooperation of the Public Security Bureau, employing thunderous measures, went to 12 hospitals in the city, and applied detention measures to 8 hospital Party Committee secretaries, 6 hospital directors, and 10 pharmacy directors.

In the afternoon, the special task force acted again, heading to seven counties and two districts, applying detention measures to 4 health commission bureau directors, 5 medical insurance bureau directors, 6 hospital directors, and 5 pharmacy directors.

On November 22, the Municipal Public Security Bureau arrested 36 responsible persons of medical equipment companies, medical equipment agents, and pharmaceutical representatives.

This series of actions was like a mighty storm, with an irresistible, grand momentum, sweeping across the entire Nanyuan City and its medical system, ferreting out the ugly secrets and corrupt practices hidden deep in the medical field, demonstrating the Municipal Party Committee's unwavering and unshakable determination and strength in cracking down on medical corruption, and sending society a strong signal: whoever stretches out their hand will be caught!

The entire medical system of Nanyuan City fell into paralysis, with every practitioner feeling endangered, including those attending physicians and head nurses.

The director of the Municipal Health Commission, Lu Kun, became the busiest person, rushing around to 'put out fires', assigning temporary heads to each hospital to maintain the normal operation of the city's hospitals. Fortunately, those detained this time were all management personnel, making deployment easy.

On November 25, the Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Discipline Inspection Committee issued another weighty anti-corruption document titled 'Nanyuan City's Special Action to Promote the Rectification of Corruption Problems in the Medical Field', launching a severe crackdown on six major areas including key positions and improper contacts with pharmaceutical representatives, comprehensively purging without leaving any trace. It ignited the anti-corruption blaze, leaving the entire medical community stunned.

The Municipal Discipline Inspection Committee issued an appeal to the entire medical field of the city: 'dig out the radish and bring up the mud', discovering that various corruptions are merely a matter of time; those still harboring illusions need to see the current situation clearly. For medical personnel who voluntarily explain disciplinary violations and turn in illegal gains, the organization will handle them leniently.

As the medical anti-corruption drive deepened, more and more corruption problems were exposed to public view, including maintaining improper sexual relationships with multiple opposite-sex individuals over the long term; living off medicine, growing greedy and corrupt, providing assistance to others in hospital construction project contracting, fund allocation, medical equipment and drug procurement, etc., and illegally receiving huge amounts of property, and so on.

On November 28, the leadership team of the Second Municipal Hospital was uprooted, from the director down to the heads of key departments, all placed in detention by the Municipal Discipline Inspection Committee on the same day. Pull one thread and the whole body moves; the entire Second Hospital saw a total of 285 medical personnel voluntarily turn themselves in.

By moving the anti-corruption defense line forward, the space for medical corruption across the city was tightly compressed; those hiding in the 'cracks' could no longer stay put and began to voluntarily confess and turn themselves in.

Within just ten days, a total of 1,255 personnel from the city's public hospitals voluntarily explained disciplinary violations and turned over illegal gains.

On December 1, Lu Fan presided over a meeting of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee to study the handling opinions for corruption cases in the medical field.

At the meeting, Municipal Discipline Inspection Committee Secretary Fang Yang reported the case investigation status: as of now, 165 leaders and hospital management personnel have been filed for investigation, the corruption evidence is solid, 415 million yuan of corrupt funds have been seized, and 1,265 medical personnel have turned themselves in and surrendered, handing over 112 million yuan of illegal gains.

Municipal Party Secretary Lu Fan said: 'These cases show that medical corruption harms patients' health and well-being, and is the main reason why medical expenses remain high!'

Medical corruption increases the cost of pharmaceutical circulation and use, leading to inflated drug prices and substandard consumables; it affects doctors' diagnostic behavior, resulting in phenomena such as excessive examinations, excessive treatments, and irrational prescriptions; it undermines the fair distribution of medical resources, causing high-quality resources to be monopolized by a few, making it difficult for ordinary patients to obtain reasonable and effective services!

These serious illegal acts not only destroy the industry's work ethic, but also increase patients' medical burden, directly eroding the public's sense of happiness and safety when seeking medical care.

Comrades, the medical cause concerns thousands of households, relates to the people's lives and property safety, is an important field for safeguarding people's livelihood, is a major matter of national economy and people's livelihood; if commercial bribery, price violations, and other corruption problems are not curbed, how can the people's health be guaranteed?

A doctor without virtue cannot practice medicine. They are guardians of health, not greedy worms; hospitals are the front line of treating disease, not breeding grounds for corruption. Upholding Zero Tolerance for corruption in the medical field is the only way to truly promote the healthy development of the medical system and truly let the people see a doctor with peace of mind and undergo treatment with ease.

I suggest that these 165 leaders and management personnel be given double expulsion and handed over to the judicial authorities. For medical personnel who voluntarily explain problems, they should be given lenient punishment, but we must strengthen integrity and professional ethics education; if they reoffend, there will be no hesitation, and they will be dealt with severely.

At the same time, we must continue to dig deep into these 165 leaders; 415 million yuan, averaging only 2.5 million per person? No matter whether you believe it or not, I certainly don't believe it! We must 'dig', letting the procuratorate and public security bureau take over, letting them spit out all the 'fat and grease' of corruption, this money I have great use for!

Comrades, the corrupt funds already found exceed 500 million yuan, and that's only a part, even a small part; how could medical treatment not be expensive for the people? This can only show that our supervision is lacking and the system is imperfect.

To eradicate medical corruption, we must block supervisory blind spots and institutional loopholes. The Health Commission should target doctors taking kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies, the inflated pricing of drugs and medical equipment, and unreasonable drug use, etc., carrying out full-chain, full-field, full-coverage systemic governance to solve the systemic problems in industry supervision, earnestly promote industry governance in the pharmaceutical field, and ensure that the rectification work yields results.

After the standing committee meeting ended, the Discipline Inspection Committee's handling opinions on the 165 individuals were made public to society; a medical anti-corruption storm swept across the city, exposing the filth hidden in pharmaceutical companies and medical institutions before the public. Under the storm, the medical industry experienced a strong shock.

'This morning, a bunch of groups have been disbanded—not just the reimbursement groups, but also related project groups, meeting groups, communication groups, and so on; all enterprises' related WeChat groups have been completely dissolved.'

'Some are destroying notes, some are avoiding the limelight.'

'Even if one wanted to give lecture fees, they couldn't be paid out.'

'We have postponed some of our meetings; have your activities been affected?'

Discipline Inspection Committee staff 'lurking' in a certain pharmaceutical industry chat group, many pharmaceutical representatives 'sharing' the latest anti-corruption developments, with anxiety and tension spreading everywhere……

As the anti-corruption drive continued to deepen, hospital directors instantly became a 'high-risk' profession; in December, another 10 hospital senior officials were announced to be under investigation.

With the courage to cut out corrupt flesh from within and the bravery to undertake self-revolution, Nanyuan City has shown the nation the bravery and determination to govern and cure medical corruption; with hospital directors being arrested every day, Nanyuan has once again become an 'internet-famous' city, attracting countless gazes.

On December 10, the Party Secretary of Pingshan City left for the provincial CPPCC, leaving the Municipal Party Secretary position vacant.

That day, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee and Deputy Director of the Provincial Supervisory Commission, Deng Guoqiang, leading a delegation, came to Wolong District of Nanyuan City to conduct a special investigation on the promotion and deployment of the reporting platform of the discipline inspection and supervision system.

At noon, Municipal Party Secretary Lu Fan hosted a banquet for Deng Guoqiang and his entourage at the Nanyuan Grand Hotel.

After the meal, the two held a private conversation in the hotel room.

Deng Guoqiang laughed and said: 'Nanyuan's medical anti-corruption effort has been vigorous and effective, with noticeable results; the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee has been continuously monitoring, and you have in one go fulfilled the province's 'target'!'

Lu Fan laughed and replied: 'It's impossible not to act; a normal doctor would never prescribe a more expensive drug for a patient without reason, or even direct the patient to go far away to an outside pharmacy to purchase. Everyone knows where the astronomical sales costs of the pharmaceutical industry have gone. And those medical devices—can you imagine? A single item can net a rebate of millions!'

After these days of phased rectification, the procurement funds for medicines and medical consumables in the city's public medical institutions have saved over 200 million yuan, a reduction of 47.7%; the average daily expenses of discharged patients across the city have dropped by 7.54%, and the public's medical burden has been noticeably alleviated.

Using the few individuals' gold watches, lobsters, houses, and savings to reduce the economic and psychological burdens of the broad masses of the people, allowing the medical field to return to its original intention—this is the original aspiration of anti-corruption. After the storm passes, it should be a blue sky shared by all!

Deng Guoqiang said: 'Nanyuan is, after all, just a city and can still be kept under control. If we tried to do this across the entire province, the backlash would likely be huge and might even harm ourselves!'

Lu Fan said lightly: 'To hold office for one term is to benefit one locality; one eats according to the size of one's belly. I am now the Municipal Party Secretary of Nanyuan, and I can only manage Nanyuan's affairs.'

After a few casual remarks, Deng Guoqiang went straight to the point and said: 'The Party Secretary position of Pingshan City is vacant; I want to strive for it.'

Lu Fan thought for a moment and said: 'Earlier, I discussed your matter with the Governor; he and Secretary Tang Bing exchanged views on the candidate for the Party Secretary of Pingshan City. Secretary Tang did not express a clear position; I estimate he is not too keen on giving the Party Secretary post, but the Mayor should have no problem.'