Chapter 688

The last item of the meeting, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Lu Fan delivered an important speech!

Lu Fan slowly scanned the entire venue; his originally solemn face now appeared exceptionally grave, as if a thousand-jin weight pressed on his heart, and he said in a heavy tone: "We are all practitioners and administrators in the medical industry. To speak plainly, the vast majority of hospitals now treat themselves as malls, doctors are quickly becoming businessmen, excessive medical treatment persists despite bans, medical costs keep rising, and the difficulty and high cost of seeing a doctor for ordinary people have become a social phenomenon."

Perhaps you are not aware that this year's New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme surplus will be negative, with expenditures exceeding funding by over 15%! The reality is, the more the government invests, the more the people's medical insurance premiums rise year after year, yet the money is still insufficient, and seeing a doctor keeps getting more expensive!

So where exactly does the money go? Everyone knows! A single machine can take in tens of millions in kickbacks, a pharmacy director was found to have tens of millions in illicit income, and even a head nurse can earn over a million per year!

Moreover, a shocking fact: in the province-wide medical anti-corruption drive, the voluntarily surrendered and seized illicit funds have already exceeded 5 billion yuan!

Comrades, how absurd this is! How unbelievable! If this continues, what face do we have to face the grassland people?

Having said this, Lu Fan, indignant beyond endurance, slammed his hand heavily on the table.

The venue fell deathly silent, as silent as the grave. Most people still have a conscience; they know how to write the two words 'shame'.

After composing himself, Lu Fan continued: 'The purpose of medical reform is to achieve rational allocation of resources, ensuring that everyone, including vulnerable groups, can enjoy government medical services.'

Promoting grassland medical reform is timely, beneficial to the present and meritorious for posterity! Our grassland has the determination, confidence, and capability to create a first-rate, low-cost, sustainable medical and health system domestically!

Implementing free medical care for all is indeed challenging for the grassland. Therefore, the province has set a reimbursement ratio of 95%, with the public bearing 5%, but we have abolished hospital threshold fees, which can greatly reduce public expenditure.

Nothing is more important than the people's happy life; since we are spending money, we must spend it where it counts.

Comrades, malpractices in the pharmaceutical distribution sector have long persisted; this medical reform will uniformly implement the 'two-invoice system' across the province, aiming to accelerate governance, cut off gray-interest chains, purify the pharmaceutical distribution market, and lower inflated drug prices.

The Provincial Medical Insurance Bureau must vigorously promote centralized volume-based procurement of medicines, clearly defining rules for key links such as declared-volume management and agreed-volume execution, selecting products as the top priority; this is to safeguard the bottom line of drug quality and safety for the medical reform.

Comrades, serving the people cannot be mere lip service; we must truly understand that the people's health outweighs Mount Tai, and their interests surpass everything! We must spare no effort and leave no stone unturned in safeguarding the health of the grassland people.

The grassland will take this medical reform as an opportunity, self-impose pressure, increase fiscal investment, innovate institutional mechanisms, and spare no effort to solve the problems of 'difficulty and high cost in seeing a doctor'.

On behalf of the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government, I state that on the road of medical reform, any 'stumbling blocks' or 'obstacles' will not only be kicked away by the Provincial Party Committee but will be smashed to pieces!

At the same time, I announce that the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission can launch the second phase of anti-corruption action, stirring up a comprehensive, full-chain, full-coverage anti-corruption storm, sounding the 'charge' of anti-corruption in the pharmaceutical field to escort the medical reform!

Governor Luo Shiyu concluded: 'Secretary Lu's speech is high in vision, profound in intent, clear in goal, and pragmatic; it has pointed out the direction and clarified the thinking for the province's medical reform work. The entire provincial medical and health sector must study it deeply and put it into practice earnestly, conveying the spirit of this meeting and the medical reform policies to all the people of the province.'

On behalf of the Provincial Government, I state that medical reform is a major people's livelihood project; the finance department will sincerely raise funds by all means, continuously increase investment, truly strengthen the budgeting, execution, and supervision of medical reform funds, unite up and down to fully escort it, ensuring smooth implementation. We must achieve medical reform that benefits the people and warms their hearts, with fiscal support guaranteed……

After the meeting, pharmaceutical enterprises, representatives, medical institutions, and medical personnel across the province were panic-stricken; multiple academic conferences organized by pharmaceutical, medical, and medical insurance associations, societies, and foundations announced suspensions or postponements; hospitals began internal self-examinations, and everyone called this medical reform and anti-corruption drive 'the strongest in history' and 'unprecedented'.

At 4 p. m., the Provincial Party Committee convened a small-scale medical reform promotion meeting, attended by the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission, Provincial Public Security Department, Provincial Health Commission, Provincial Medical Insurance Bureau, Provincial Market Supervision Bureau, and the municipal party secretaries of all cities, with Deputy Secretary Lu Fan presiding.

After the meeting began, Lu Fan solemnly said: 'I have called you together to discuss only one matter: the issue of execution capability.'

Today, the province's medical reform work is officially launched; the plan was painstakingly drafted by countless people working day and night, overtime, and represents the collective wisdom of the grassland medical workers.

However, no matter how well the policy is formulated, the key lies in execution and implementation.

Execution capability is a kind of ability, an attitude, and even more a combat power; it allows no slackness, no empty effort.

After the medical reform launches, we will face many complex situations; it can be said we have entered a critical state, a wartime condition, where any words are pale, and the only thing you need is execution capability!

If any among you shirks responsibility and passes the buck, it will create a 'broken window effect'; loosening a little today may lead to loosening a lot tomorrow, ultimately achieving nothing.

As the main body and primary responsible persons for implementing medical reform, you must rise to difficulties, exert primordial strength, fully play the 'visible hand', demonstrate a stabilizing core role in steadying the overall situation and opening new fronts, only then can you possess invincible combat power.

For the overall benefit and the well-being of all provincial people, you must implement every medical reform policy without compromise or haggling, allowing no negativity, wavering, or resistance; strive to accept tasks without conditions and carry out instructions without discount, embodying the responsibility 'to defend one's land and fulfill one's duty', handling each level's affairs well and fulfilling each level's responsibility; possess the spirit of 'opening roads when encountering mountains, building bridges when meeting rivers', dare to confront difficulties, and not cease until the goal is reached.

Comrades, practical deeds strengthen the nation, practical deeds strengthen the army. Without being pragmatic and implementing, even the finest blueprint is a flower in the mirror, a moon in the water. Only by acting on orders and moving at the sound of commands can we keep in step and shoulder the era's responsibility to fight and win battles.

Now, you may raise any difficulties, but after the meeting adjourns you must unite and cooperate, pool your efforts, become the pathfinders and main force of grassland medical reform; whoever drags down the reform will be dismissed outright, no questions asked!

What Lu Fan didn't expect was that the Camel League Committee Secretary Sun Xujia was the first to state his position, saying: 'Everyone can see that medical reform benefits the country and the people, aiming for ordinary folks to spend less or no money on medical care; the Camel League firmly follows the Provincial Party Committee's arrangements, without discount, without citing difficulties, without lowering standards, without going through the motions, guaranteeing smooth progress of medical reform in the Camel League. Anyone who plays tricks in this work will not be tolerated by party discipline and state law!'

Sun Xujia offered a peach, Lu Fan returned a plum, nodding and saying: 'Comrade Sun Xujia's words are uplifting; reform work needs such determination and courage from you! However, saying well is not as good as doing well; I await your actual actions.'

Tin League Committee Secretary Men Junhao felt some regret; he was Secretary Lu's top lieutenant, how could he be outpaced by that old brat Sun Xujia? He hurriedly expressed his stance: 'Secretary, the Tin League will firmly respond and firmly implement, treating medical reform as the top priority at present, and will exert the greatest force, the strictest measures, the fastest speed to firmly enforce the implementation of all medical reform tasks, striving to become a model for the province's medical reform.'

Lu Fan likewise nodded, revealing a hint of a relieved smile.

Next, Hetao City Party Secretary Li Peilin, Yike City Party Secretary Wei Dongsheng, He Lun City Party Secretary Zhou Haoshu, Hai Wu City Party Secretary Fu Yujie, Zhelimu City Party Secretary Xu Rongliang all expressed their positions, vowing to go all out and without compromise to carry out the medical reform work.

The remaining Cloud Valley City Party Secretary Zhou Yan, Hilly City Party Secretary Ai Linghua, and Nine Origins City Party Secretary Huang Ketao all glanced simultaneously at Azure City Party Secretary Yun Shuo.

At this moment, Yun Shuo silently cursed, they are all a bunch of bastards who cling to power; previously they followed me like grandsons, now each one wants to cling to Lu Fan's thigh, opportunistic wind-followers!

But circumstances outweigh personal wishes; although Yun Shuo was dissatisfied inside, he dared not openly oppose the province's policies, so he simply played the 'ostrich act', remaining silent and putting on a look of deep thought.

Unexpectedly, Lu Fan directly named him, saying: 'Comrade Yun Shuo, you are a member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee, and Azure City is the main battlefield of medical reform; please state your position!'

Being 'forced onto Liangshan', Yun Shuo nodded slightly and said: 'Medical reform is a good thing and should be fully supported. However, Azure City's fiscal situation is not optimistic; in some tasks we lack capacity, hoping for strong provincial support. Moreover, Azure City's situation is relatively complex, after all there are many large and good hospitals; I worry that the vast medical staff may struggle to adapt quickly to such a major impact, I will do my best.'

Regarding such an attitude, Lu Fan was very dissatisfied and immediately retorted bluntly: 'I just spoke about execution capability; since the Provincial Party Committee has made a decision, all levels and departments must act without conditions, without excuses, without compromise, unite to overcome tough challenges, and deliver a satisfactory answer. Comrade Yun Shuo, your work attitude is unacceptable!'

Medical reform concerns the well-being of thousands of households; it is a lofty endeavor that benefits the country and the people, blessing generations to come. The Provincial Party Committee's stance is: if you don't change your thinking, we'll replace you; if you don't take responsibility, we'll hold you accountable; if you don't step up, we'll reassign you; if you don't act, we'll remove you from office.

Weigh it yourself; if you truly lack the ability, I will select someone else to take charge of this work!