Great Doctor Ling Ran

Huo Congjun wiped the small window where the spider plant and devil’s ivy were placed in his office. He smiled and said, “Everyone, I want to announce something. The Medical Affairs Department has confirmed that we will be receiving four medical applications. In the next few days, there will be four patients from Kenya, Ecuador, and Jamaica coming to our department to receive treatment. Everyone, make sure you buck up.”

Everyone applauded.

“They actually took the trouble to come to our country? Not bad.”

“This can be considered as bonus points, right?”

“We don’t have many special patients coming to our Hand Surgery Department either, right?”

“Department Director Jin Xi has operated on a few before, but he’s not doing those surgeries anymore.”

Huo Congjun smiled like a fox that was usually turned into a scarf in ancient times and said, “All the four patients came for Doctor Ling Ran. I have to say, our Doctor Ling Ran is at the top of the world when it comes to the Achilles tendon repair technique.”

After that was said, Huo Congjun clapped his hands again.

Everyone in the department room also showed great cooperation by applauding as well.

Huo Congjun smiled. “We are now at an important point in the process of upgrading our Emergency Department to an Emergency Medical Center. Once it is successful, everyone here will have more opportunities for promotion, in-service training, higher salary, bonuses, and other opportunities.”

The applause finally became sincere.

“So, we have to seize all the opportunities that we have. I also want to remind everyone here that Kenya and Jamaica are countries that are famous in track and field. The four patients who’ve come for treatment are their countries’ pathfinders. If we can provide satisfactory medical services, there’s a chance that we can form long-lasting collaborations…” Huo Congjun said very solemnly.

Doctor Tao, who was also a chief physician, also stood up at that moment and gave them an insignificant reminder, “When Department Director Huo speaks of medical services, he is not only talking about surgeries, but also all aspects of the perioperative process. Everyone, put your heads together and increase our department’s ability to compete with others…”

Department Director Huo let his supporting character finish speaking before he called out to Ling Ran, “Doctor Ling, you should also tell us about the entire sequence of our international medical treatment plan.”

“Oh,” Ling Ran stood up as if he had been called by his teacher and said, “I met some foreign doctors during my participation in the International Sports Orthopedics Research Conference in Shanghai. At the Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center, I operated on several foreign athletes and sports enthusiasts—”

“What a waste.” Department Director Huo sighed and waved his hand before he said, “Take your time, I won’t interrupt you again.”

Ling Ran then continued, “This time, I received replies in the form of emails from six doctors, and they intend to send their patients to Yun Hua Hospital for surgical treatment. I responded to the emails with related requests. Two patients failed the tests and expressed their unwillingness to continue the tests. So—”

“Wait a second…” Huo Congjun’s expression changed. “You rejected two foreign athletes to come and seek treatment in our hospital?”

“One’s an athlete, and the other one should be a non-professional athlete,” Ling Ran answered seriously.

“Department Director Huo, take a deep breath.”

“Department Director Huo, please take a seat. Have a drink.”

“Old Huo, calm down, we can talk about this.”

Everyone continuously persuaded him to calm down. They were afraid that Huo Congjun would faint in the Emergency Medical Center right before it was established.

“Oh, Ling Ran…” Huo Congjun panted for a while before he said, “The last time you mentioned the test, weren’t they supposed to be given after the patients are hospitalized? Is it necessary to have prehospitalization tests?”

Ling Ran thought about it and said, “It’s necessary.”

“Oh… what happens after that? What’s your reasoning for it?”

“Isn’t it more unreasonable for them to come all the way, then be forced to go back if they fail the test after they’re admitted into the hospital?” Ling Ran’s words sounded like a refute.

Huo Congjun was stumped, and he found that his mind was a little too muddled.

By the side, Doctor Zhou said, “Ling Ran, please take out the test and let us have a look.”

“Okay,” Ling Ran turned around to his computer and opened the test in the emails.

Huo Congjun and the others either consciously or subconsciously gathered together to take a look at the test.

Sure enough, they were very simple questions.

[The fixation on the leg after a patient receives Achilles tendon repair technique can be removed after three weeks, yes or no?]

[Those who receive the Achilles tendon repair technique require strict bed rest after surgery, yes or no?]

[During the postoperative period of the Achilles tendon repair technique, the patient can take painkillers when he or she is in great pain, yes or no?]

The English questions were a little difficult to comprehend when they read it, but they were not too difficult to understand either.

Huo Congjun looked at the questions in general and frowned. “How could someone not be able to answer these questions?”

Doctor Zhou also said, “It’s just yes for all those things, right?”

Ling Ran nodded.

“So, two athletes didn’t answer questions at this level of difficulty correctly? Do they not understand English?” Huo Congjun asked.

“Their attending physicians translated the questions for them.”

“And they still could not answer them?”

Ling Ran said, “Their attending physicians gave me feedback and said that they probably didn’t want to follow the hospital’s rules and regulations, and felt that it limited their freedom…”

“Can I have a look at the emails?” Huo Congjun was worried that Ling Ran had been mistaken.

Ling Ran then showed him the emails.

Huo Congjun read them silently, got up, thought for a moment, and said, “I believe that this patient examination system should be properly implemented.”

“Yes, those who don’t obey the doctor’s advice will only destroy the reputation of the hospital. We may even need to provide them a refund in the end.”

“Things would be worse if we were sued. We won’t ever have to think about making a name for ourselves by then.”

“As expected, only someone as meticulous as Doctor Ling could explore the international market!”

Ling Ran listened quietly to the crowd’s praises. For him, the scene was really nothing out of the ordinary. The greatest compliments and praises he received was when he was in the Great Hall of the People[1]… At that time, thousands of people participated in the selection of child stars. Ling Ran got a record-breaking round of applause when he appeared, another record-breaking round of applause during the middle of his performance, and another record-breaking round of applause at the end. In the end, when Ling Ran announced his withdrawal from participation, he received several rounds of applause again.

Compared with that time, the magnitude of praises from a dozen doctors in a small office was really lacking.

On the second day, the first athlete from Kenya arrived at Yun Hua Hospital.

Huo Congjun conducted a low-key publicity campaign that left a deep impression. He chose ten chief physicians and hospital directors, then filled the large Operating Theater 1 to watch Ling Ran’s Achilles tendon repair technique on a foreign patient.

Unlike hospitals in Shanghai, which often received foreign patients for the doctors to operate on, the number of foreigners who went to Yun Hua City was never high. There were even fewer who were willing to stay in Yun Hua Hospital.

Of course, this did not include pregnant women from Vietnam and Myanmar. They did not have identity cards, and they just went to the hospital before their due date. They were neither insured by Chinese medical insurance companies nor able to identify themselves as foreigners. If they did, they would just be repatriated. So, both doctors and patients would pretend to be ignorant of the patients’ status as foreigners.

In any case, for Yun Hua Hospital’s Emergency Department, Kenyan athletes were good selling points, and they provided more publicity than Vietnamese brides.

The hospital directors were also very optimistic about the subject that Huo Congjun came up with. However, the Director of the Orthopedics Department was a little unhappy. But he was just unhappy, he had no other thoughts about the matter.

The Orthopedics Department of Yun Hua Hospital had long since abandoned performing Achilles tendon repairs. If the matter had not concerned their reputation, they would never have been bothered to perform such a minor surgery. However, if they tried to operate on athletes, the surgery would become a little too difficult for them.

A photographer for Changxi Province Television Station was also invited to record the exciting scene that transcended time.

The photographer began the process of setting up his video camera in a slightly lackadaisical manner. He was already very bored as he watched the doctors gently trim a plastic sheet outside the frame of his video camera with an instrument to form a frame.

That moment was incredibly important to Yun Hua Hospital’s Emergency Department, but to Changxi Province, it was nothing. If it were not because he had been asked to go there because someone he knew had personally asked him to do so, he would not have gone.

The photographer adjusted his tripod stand and took out his camera too. He said, “Remind me when the important part starts.”

“No problem.” Department Director Lei of the Medical Affairs Department valued the reporters more highly than Huo Congjun. He tried to give a few signals to the other directors as well so that they would not miss the opportunity.

“Ready?” Ling Ran held his hands up before his chest before he entered the operating theater.

“We’re ready. You can start the surgery.” Ma Yanlin and Yu Yuan were the first and second assistants in the surgery. Both of them had chosen the Achilles tendon repair technique as their main surgery, hence they took all the assistant positions required in an Achilles tendon repair surgery.

Ling Ran nodded and asked the nurse to help him wear a sterile surgical gown before he stood in front of the operating table.

The operating table had been adjusted to the height he was familiar with, and the trays were full of surgical instruments.

“We are starting the surgery now.” Ling Ran grabbed a surgical skin marker pen and marked the patient’s leg. Then, he grabbed a scalpel.

The scalpel was shiny and looked like a divine tool.

Ling Ran looked at the patient’s leg, and his eyes sparkled.

The photographer trembled, his fingers quivering as he lifted the SLR camera hanging around his neck. He pressed the shutter, and that was followed by continuous clicking sounds. He mumbled continuously in a tone that others could not understand. “Handsome, handsome, handsome, handsome…”

He was incredibly nervous. It felt like the first time he went to the safari when he was young to photograph deer mating.

“This… isn’t the important part yet.” Department Director Lei may have left the world of surgery for some time, but he still had some basic discernment.

The photographer did not even glance at him as he continued to press down on the shutter countless times. He had been a photojournalist for many years and also had some basic discernment himself.

A smug smile appeared on Huo Congjun’s lips. It was not the first time he saw a reporter react that way, and he had already taken into consideration the resource he would need for his publicity a long time ago.