Chapter 687: Launching Province‑wide Medical Reform

Then Lu Fan solemnly said, "The Organization Department has examined the health condition and work status of the Education Department Director, and the result is unsatisfactory."

Comrades, education is the nation's future and the people's hope. Yet in the reality of our Grassland Province, educational poverty remains a serious problem, especially for children in impoverished and rural areas who face difficulties in receiving a good education. To break a barrier of educational poverty, the Provincial Party Committee and the provincial government are planning a zero‑fee education policy.

That is, all compulsory‑education students will implement the "Five Exemptions and One Subsidy" policy, achieving truly free compulsory education, with schools charging zero fees—including tuition, exam fees, test paper fees, after‑school extended‑hour fees, and so on.

If a school charges even a single cent from a student, parents may report it; the Discipline Inspection Committee must investigate every report, and once verified, must act: the Education Bureau Director and the Principal are dismissed, the Deputy County Chief in charge of education receives a major demerit, and the County Party Secretary and County Chief receive demerits.

This policy aims to ensure that every school‑age child can receive fair, free education, eliminate educational poverty, and break that barrier of educational poverty.

I hope the government, schools, families, enterprises, and all sectors of society will work together to create a fair, free educational environment for the children of the Grassland Province!

This work cannot be accomplished in one fell swoop; it is continuous and long‑term, requiring a young, vigorous, energetic comrade to shoulder the heavy responsibility.

The Education Department Director has only a few months left before retirement, and given his current health and work condition, he cannot bear such an arduous and complex task—this is the rationale for replacing the Education Department Director.

Upon hearing this, Gu Yunhao and the others did not know how to rebut; opposing a livelihood project would have them berated to death by cadres and the masses.

Lu Fan stopped wasting words with them, raised his hand for a vote, and it passed unanimously.

After the standing committee ended, the wind of "Zero‑Fee" education swept across the entire province; the people of Grassland Province were all elated and eagerly awaited the swift implementation of the good policy.

Deputy Secretary‑General Liu Xianhao brought a box of tea to Lu Fan's office to express gratitude, but was unsurprisingly rejected mercilessly.

Lu Fan gave a faint glance and said unequivocally, "My tea is supplied by the Office Department; didn't you know? Why are you pulling this stunt? In the future, don't bring these 'messy' items here!"

Liu Xianhao hurriedly explained, "Secretary, I was wrong, I won't dare again! I truly don't know how to express my gratitude!"

Lu Fan said earnestly, "Doing the job well is the best thanks to me! I have planned the 'Zero‑Fee' education, you know it best and have been involved all along; when you go to the Education Department, you know what to do, right?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xianhao straightened immediately, his gaze firm, and replied, "Secretary, I will fully launch the 'Zero‑Fee' education in mid‑April, with the most resolute attitude, the most powerful measures, the most solid style, and the strictest requirements, to implement this work so that the people of the whole province feel the Secretary's and the Provincial Party Committee's emphasis, care, dedication, and deep affection for education."

Lu Fan continued, "Xianhao, when you assume the new post, you must strictly observe the bottom line of official conduct, emphasize moral integrity, be strict with yourself, lead by example, stay constantly vigilant, constantly build defenses, constantly remember duties, lead in standardizing political behavior, consciously resist all decadent ideas and unhealthy trends, manage those around you, and work cleanly for the Party and the people!"

"Please, Secretary, rest assured, I will certainly see the big picture and the overall situation, align my thoughts and actions with the Provincial Party Committee's decisions, swiftly change roles, adapt to the environment, position myself correctly, be courageous in responsibility, act proactively. Cultivate oneself, build a solid clean‑self‑discipline defense, uphold integrity, value conduct, consciously resist temptation, and never disappoint the Secretary's cultivation and expectations!"

In mid‑April, Deputy Provincial Governor Zhang Rongqiu finished his inspection and study in Nanling. After returning to the Grassland Province, he immediately incorporated Nanling's advanced experience to refine the "Grassland Province Medical and Health Reform Plan"; Lu Fan participated in discussions many times, offering guiding suggestions.

After a week of meticulous planning and preparation, the Provincial Party Committee and provincial government convened on April 25 a provincial medical and health anti‑corruption special action phase‑summary and reform conference. Relevant provincial departments, each Municipal Party Committee Secretary, mayors, county (district) Party Secretaries and county (district) Chiefs, all levels of Discipline Inspection Committees, Organization Department, procuratorate, inspection, and judicial authorities, Health and Wellness Committee, Medical Insurance Bureau, Market Supervision Administration, and other main responsible comrades attended. The meeting was held in the provincial government auditorium, chaired by Governor Luo Shiyu, with Deputy Party Secretary Lu Fan delivering important instructions.

The first agenda item, Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee Secretary Du Wenlong reported the first‑stage results of the provincial medical and health anti‑corruption special action. Following the unified deployment of the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee integrated primary responsibility, supervision responsibility, and regulatory responsibility, vigorously advancing concentrated rectification of unhealthy practices and corruption around the masses, tackling discipline and anti‑corruption together, and consolidating efforts to continuously address these issues.

The medical anti‑corruption "Bone‑Scraping Therapy" shows remarkable "efficacy": 155 hospital presidents and secretaries have been placed under investigation; 18 municipal and county level Health and Wellness Committee directors and Medical Insurance Bureau heads have been investigated; 1,258 mid‑level hospital leaders have been investigated; 15,432 people voluntarily disclosed issues and surrendered illegal gains… Some cases involve huge sums, covert methods, and severe impact, which is shocking.

Du Wenlong concluded that this grand, highly deterrent medical anti‑corruption campaign has, to date, achieved considerable results; the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee remains steadfast, striking all forms of corruption with thunderous force, thereby helping the provincial medical and health reform achieve a complete success!

Lu Fan took the microphone, moved, and said, "Let me say a few words. A few days ago I chatted with an old doctor, and he said something that left a deep impression on me: Nowadays in hospitals, some people wear the white coat on their bodies but keep profit in their hearts!"

Those words sting the heart, yet they expose the pain point of corruption in the medical system!

Last week, I conducted a covert visit to a hospital and saw an elderly person standing in a hallway, clutching a few crumpled deposit slips, their eyes full of helplessness toward the hospital's 'revenue generation.'

This inevitably made me reflect: what posture should a hospital truly adopt?

Too many people are gold on the outside and rotten inside. Beneath the seemingly brightest exterior often lies the deepest shadow.

Perhaps, when every hospital administrator and medical staff place patients' interests at heart and wear the original intention of saving lives on their chest, we can truly see the ideal medical environment. After all, a people's hospital ultimately must serve the people!

Now, the medical anti‑corruption storm continues to unfold; I sincerely hope this storm can blow away all the dust in the medical industry, making white coats pure again. Anti‑corruption for the people, anti‑corruption benefits the people!

Alright, the meeting continues.

The second agenda item, Deputy Provincial Governor Zhang Rongqiu conveyed the "Grassland Province Medical and Health Reform Plan."

This weighty "Plan" embodies the dedication of countless people!

The "Plan" provides top‑level design for the Grassland Province's medical and health system reform, further standardizing and enhancing the management mechanisms of public hospitals, aiming to build a "towering and grounded" new medical and health landscape for the Grassland.

The "Plan" sets 45 reform tasks across ten major areas: public hospital management system, hospital infrastructure construction, hardware and software upgrades, fiscal investment, medical security, medical pricing system, remuneration system, drug and consumable supplies, equipment procurement, and supervision.

The "Plan" possesses height, breadth, thickness, depth, warmth, and force, with frequent highlights, such as: exempting personal medical insurance contributions (excluding public officials); a unified 95% reimbursement of medical expenses province‑wide; a fiscal injection of 5 billion yuan to support public hospitals in reaching peak excellence; establishing an information‑sharing platform for all provincial hospitals; instituting an annual salary system for hospital presidents and fully opening title evaluation; completely eliminating mark‑ups on medical consumables; treatment before payment; the two‑invoice system; abolishing drug mark‑ups; and province‑wide unified procurement of medicines and medical equipment…

As Deputy Provincial Governor Zhang Rongqiu deeply interpreted the "Plan," exclamations periodically rang through the venue, shaking every participant's soul.

Many faces were filled with disbelief, because the magnitude of this reform overturns their expectations, delivering an unprecedented massive impact on everyone's thinking!

Today's attendees are all managers of the provincial medical and health sector; they know the industry's shortcomings intimately and are fully aware of the "Plan's" substantial value.

If these reform measures can be fully implemented, the long‑standing problems that have plagued the people of the Grassland—"difficulty and expense of seeking medical care"—will be eradicated and fundamentally resolved.

Seated beside Lu Fan, Gu Yunhao knit his brows, his gaze sharp and cold. He "unintentionally" locked eyes with Yun Shuo in the front row, both seeing worry and anger in each other's eyes.

Yun Shuo took out his phone, sent a message without hesitation, and nodded toward Gu Yun on the stage.

The third agenda item, the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee, Provincial Health and Wellness Committee, Provincial Medical Insurance Bureau, Provincial Market Supervision Administration, Provincial Finance Department, Provincial Public Security Department and other departments, made statements supporting the provincial medical and health reform.

Provincial Medical Insurance Bureau Director Cheng Jingbo stated: "With iron‑like discipline we will forge a 'Medical Insurance Iron Army,' truly placing discipline and rules foremost, providing strong political and disciplinary guarantees for the province's medical reform…"

Provincial Health and Wellness Committee Director Wang Dong stated: "Doctor‑patient relations are increasingly tense, doctors' confidence in practice has been severely hit; hierarchical diagnosis and treatment remains unresolved, large hospitals are overcrowded and keep expanding; the economy is slowing, social security funding has peaked, yet medical costs keep rising; primary medical foundations are not established, chronic diseases are unchecked, severe cases increase… Medical reform stands at a crossroads, determining whether serious illnesses will be reversed or continue to improve. The people entrust their lives to us; we must give our all!"