Chapter 684

Lu Fan's ringing speech directly stabbed at the long-standing maladies and sores in the medical field; his hardline anti-corruption declaration was like a thunderclap splitting the grassland, delivering an unprecedented shock to the province's medical sector while also sounding the death knell, leaving many people uneasy, sleepless, filled with worry and fear for their fate.

The Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee had been planning this medical-sector anti-corruption operation for two months; in the preliminary stage it had conducted extensive screening, organizing a massive amount of leads, so the initial actions were naturally targeted.

Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee member, Municipal Party Secretary of Qingcheng City Yun Shuo, having cultivated in Qingcheng for over ten years, has many followers and strong control over the whole city, described as impregnable; in recent years only Yang Minghao was an exception, who by chance obtained the dual posts of Vice Mayor and Public Security Bureau Chief.

Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee Ban Ce, who remains untainted like a lotus rising from mud and does not collude with Yun Shuo, has been sidelined to the point of being essentially a 'nonentity', neither speaking nor taking a stance nor participating; he goes to work on time every day, drinks tea, reads newspapers, watches videos; when in a good mood he goes out to do research for a few days, when in a bad mood he simply skips work and goes traveling to relax.

Director of the Eighth Supervision Room of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee Chen Hangjia, after taking office, was entrusted by Lu Fan with an important responsibility, tasked with liaising with the provincial capital Qingcheng City.

He fully understood Secretary Lu's intentions, and with great ambition poured all his energy into the anti-corruption work in Qingcheng City.

Over the past few months, Chen Hangjia collected all the complaint letters concerning Qingcheng City's medical sector, investigated each lead, and has already grasped a substantial amount of solid evidence; he has been lying in wait, preparing to launch an unusually fierce offensive against Qingcheng City. He is confident that by following the vines he will eventually uncover Yun Shuo, this 'big tiger'.

Upon Lu Fan's order, the various departments of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee sprang into action, immediately launching an arrest operation, striving to achieve the 'first battle victory' goal proposed by Secretary Lu.

The day after the medical industry anti-corruption meeting ended, the anti-corruption chill swept across the grassland!

February 16, all members of the Eighth Supervision Room were dispatched; Chen Hangjia personally led the team to the city hospital.

Today was a good day for the official inauguration of the City General Hospital; amidst a lively and jubilant atmosphere, an incident occurred that became the talk of Qingcheng citizens: the hospital president Zhao Hong, who was delivering a speech at the unveiling ceremony, was taken away by the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee for investigation amid the astonishment of the attendees.

At that moment, Zhao Hong was delivering an enthusiastic and impassioned speech, his voice loud and infectious, with applause from the audience rising from time to time.

Just then, Chen Hangjia walked up to him with several discipline inspection officials.

Chen Hangjia is a well-known figure in the grassland; his appointment last year caused a wide stir there, and people across the nation had high hopes for him. Although Zhao Hong had never met him, he had surely heard of him. He hurried forward to greet him, saying politely, 'Welcome, Director Chen; may I ask what brings you to our hospital?'

Chen Hangjia's expression was grave; his sharp eyes fixed on Zhao Hong as he coldly said, 'Comrade Zhao Hong, we are the Eighth Supervision Room of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee. Based on reports and our investigation, the Committee has decided to place you under detention measures. Please, at the designated time and place, explain your issues.'

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hong's legs went weak, as if all his strength had been drained; his body trembled uncontrollably, his face filled with shock, and he stammered, 'What… what is going on? Could you at least tell me what the problem is?' He clenched the corners of his clothes, showing extreme unease and fear.

Chen Hangjia replied without expression, 'For now I cannot tell you; you will know when we get there. What you need to do now is come with us immediately.'

Zhao Hong's forehead began to bead with cold sweat; in a slightly trembling voice he cautiously asked, 'In that case, may I inform my family? Also, I have some urgent work that needs to be handed over.'

Chen Hangjia shook his head, saying, 'I'm afraid not. Come on, give yourself some dignity.' His gaze was cold and resolute, leaving no room for negotiation.

As soon as he finished speaking, two discipline inspection officials swiftly stepped forward, one on each side, and lifted Zhao Hong into the vehicle.

Immediately afterward, Chen Hangjia's sharp gaze swept over the crowd, then he pointed his hand at several people.

The named individuals instantly turned pale, their legs went weak, and they could barely stand. Among them were two vice presidents and the pharmacy director, etc.; the Eighth Supervision Room likewise placed them under detention measures.

Watching the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee's car drive away, everyone present stared dumbfounded, disheveled in the wind, their hearts filled with shock and panic.

Not long after, this astonishing piece of news spread like wings throughout the hospital. Doctors, nurses, patients and their families all discussed it animatedly, and in no time the hospital was filled with a tense and oppressive atmosphere.

Qingcheng City once had the saying: 'Patients flow like water, the hospital chief stands like iron.' This chief undoubtedly refers to Zhao Hong, director of the People's Hospital of Qingcheng City, who has sat in that position for nearly twenty years. During his tenure, Zhao Xiaohong has received both praise and criticism.

The practice of buying and selling offices at Qingcheng People's Hospital has become an open secret; a current department head obtained his position through purchase, and he once told staff who opposed him, 'I bought this post with a bag of money—if you have the ability, go do the same!'

The department employee then went to Zhao Hong to demand an explanation, but Zhao Hong mercilessly rebuked him, directly casting him into oblivion.

Last year, as Zhao Hong neared retirement, he promoted a large number of medical staff to department heads and deputy heads, the vast majority of whom offered him 'benefits'; some head positions even had explicit price tags. Furthermore, rumors say that Zhao Hong's daughter emigrated to Canada years ago to transfer assets, and Zhao Hong and his spouse even went through a sham divorce, only remarrying last year; his wife Huang has also moved to Canada.

At ten o'clock in the morning, under bright sunshine, Chen Hangjia led his team to Grassland International Hospital, with a clear objective, directly 'bursting into' the director's office to announce the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee's detention decision.

The director's attitude was defiant, his reaction intense; in the end he was forcibly taken away, causing an uproar in the hospital.

Also taken away at the same time were five hospital administrators and department heads.

In just one morning, the Eighth Supervision Room did not stop, sweeping through Qingcheng City's five major hospitals and placing 38 people under detention.

In the afternoon, Chen Hangjia continued the action, carrying out a 'clean‑sweep' of six hospitals and detaining 25 people.

The entire medical system of Qingcheng City seemed to have undergone an unprecedented upheaval, causing an uproar; every hospital fell into extreme panic, with directors feeling uneasy and everyone on edge.

At eight o'clock in the evening, the various departments of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee reported their 'results': a total of five bureau chiefs, eighty-five directors, 423 medical personnel, and fifty‑nine pharmaceutical representatives had been placed under detention.

It is said that many pharmaceutical representatives resigned overnight, deleting chat records with hospital-related personnel for fear of being implicated.

The first battle victory sent the grassland's medical anti‑corruption drive into overdrive; the sector's corrupt elements fell one after another, inspiring the people yet shocking them, leaving hearts heavy while prompting the sigh that the problems in the medical field are truly enormous.

Starting from February 16, almost every day saw multiple medical‑industry officials fall under investigation; the pace at which the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee reports those who have fallen shows that many cannot keep up, fully reflecting the province's determination to eradicate corruption in medicine.

The Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee disclosed some directors' corrupt details: to amass wealth, they carried out so‑called innovation‑reform activities in the hospital, ultimately gaining authority over drug procurement approval, and consequently accepted tens of millions in bribes; this director would bring home bundles of cash, each worth 200,000, stacking them under the sofa and in the wardrobe, and each day looking at all that money left him both satisfied and fearful.

Another case is the director of the Thoracic Medicine Hospital, whose bidding violated regulations severely; for the same model of gastroscope, the two purchase prices differed by over three million yuan, blatantly so, showing how arrogant he was.

At the same time, the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee discovered during the investigation that these corrupt individuals, in order to evade detection, began to adopt ever more cunning and covert methods—truly, the higher the Dao, the higher the demon.

Their shameless practices include retirement kickbacks, position‑change cash‑outs, post‑resignation benefits, and evasive retirement and resignation; among these corruptions, stock‑option corruption is the hardest to investigate, truly impossible to guard against.

Qingcheng City is a hard‑hit zone of the medical anti‑corruption drive; in just a few days hundreds have been taken down, and the momentum of the crackdown is snowballing, with a tendency to sweep the whole city, which has left Municipal Party Secretary Yun Shuo unable to sit still, knowing that the medical sector has always been his biggest 'cash cow'.

The saying goes, 'To cut off someone's source of wealth is like killing their parents.' Unable to tolerate it any longer, Yun Shuo stormed into the office of Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee Secretary Du Wenlong and demanded, 'Secretary Du, with such a massive operation, I, a Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee member and the Municipal Party Secretary, am completely sidelined? The Discipline Inspection Committee is treating our Qingcheng City as if it doesn't matter!'

Du Wenlong sat calmly in his chair and replied lightly, 'The Discipline Inspection Committee observes confidentiality in its case work; to prevent leaks, the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee did not communicate with the cities during its first medical anti‑corruption action—please understand.'

Yun Shuo, suppressing his anger, asked, 'Does the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee not trust our Municipal Party Committee, or does it distrust me as the Municipal Party Secretary? Furthermore, the Committee's case handling follows a graded system and must abide by the principle of graded responsibility, as stipulated in the Regulations on Case Handling of Discipline Inspection Agencies—Secretary Du surely knows that.'

Therefore, the investigation of officials below the bureau level should be handled by the Municipal Discipline Inspection Committee, right? I asked the Municipal Discipline Inspection Committee, and they too know nothing. I just want to know whether the Qingcheng City Party Committee and its Discipline Inspection Committee still have any reason to exist. If you suspect we are acting as a 'protective umbrella' for corrupt elements, you could simply abolish the city's institutions instead of making us feel so vexed.