Chapter 579: Overhaul: Taking a Scalpel to the Emergency Department Operating Room

“Hello, Director Bai! May I ask if you have any instructions for me?”

Showing respect to a leader is always a must.

“Haha, instructions? Not quite. Zhou Can, there’s something I need to discuss with you.”

Deputy Director Bai’s tone was remarkably friendly toward him.

In this world, there are no permanent enemies—only eternal interests.

Zhou Can and Deputy Director Bai had once been at loggerheads, their relationship strained to the breaking point. Who would’ve thought that years later, they’d become close allies?

“Please, go ahead!”

Zhou Can couldn’t help but wonder what could be so urgent this early in the morning.

“Last time, Director Ye and I discussed securing a position for you in the Quality Control Office. We submitted your profile two months ago, and the initial evaluation period has passed. Now, we’re at the critical final review stage. Your qualifications are solid, and internal support is decent, but the key issue is that Hospital Assistant Qin hasn’t given the green light. Until he does, this matter remains on hold. I looked into it for you yesterday, and the competition is fierce—your chances of being selected are at most around forty percent. You’ll need to find a way to make an impression with Assistant Qin.”

Deputy Director Bai must have gone out drinking with someone last night.

And it was likely a high-level gathering.

The attendees were probably key hospital leaders or relevant department heads.

For him to keep Zhou Can’s situation in mind during such an event was truly commendable.

“Thank you so much! I’m incredibly grateful for all the effort you’ve put in on my behalf. I don’t even know how to repay you!”

Zhou Can expressed his gratitude repeatedly.

“No need to be so formal with me! Whether you get into Quality Control hinges on Assistant Qin. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Though Deputy Director Bai held the title of Vice-Director and was even deputy head of Quality Control, he was still just a deputy. For critical personnel appointments like this, the final decision rested with the head.

Hospital Assistant Qin, also a hospital-level leader, technically ranked slightly below an administrative Vice-Director like Bai.

But each hospital leader had clearly defined responsibilities, overseeing their own domain.

If it wasn’t within their jurisdiction, even a Vice-Director couldn’t interfere.

Tuyu Hospital still operated under an outdated management system with only one Hospital Assistant, lacking checks and balances. This gave Assistant Qin significant real power.

“I understand! I’ll figure something out!”

Zhou Can’s mind was already racing with ideas on how to make an impression with Assistant Qin.

This wouldn’t be easy.

Mainly because he wasn’t close to Assistant Qin. The fact that Qin was holding off on a decision spoke volumes.

Having served as deputy head of the Operating Room for so long, Zhou Can had gained some insight into management dynamics.

Both Deputy Director Bai and Deputy Director Ye had recommended him for Quality Control, and from Bai’s tone, it seemed others supported him too. This undoubtedly put pressure on Assistant Qin.

Not wanting to go against the majority but also reluctant to let Zhou Can into Quality Control, Qin could only stall.

Delay tactics often worked wonders in such situations.

As for why Assistant Qin opposed Zhou Can’s entry into Quality Control, it largely came down to personal interests.

Everyone wanted to place their own trusted allies or at least someone close to them.

Just two years ago, Zhou Can had taken down the previous Hospital Assistant. Though Assistant Qin was polite on the surface, deep down, he was wary.

What if something angered Zhou Can, and he managed to topple Qin too?

For self-preservation and other interest considerations, keeping Zhou Can out was the safest bet.

If Assistant Qin wanted to groom a distant relative, a student, or someone trustworthy, the spot would naturally be reserved for them.

So, approaching Assistant Qin directly would likely yield little result.

Unless Zhou Can pledged loyalty and agreed to be a submissive ‘servant,’ Qin wouldn’t even consider it.

But doing so would mean sacrificing dignity and backbone.

Zhou Can aimed to take on a part-time role in Quality Control for better future prospects, not to become someone’s lackey.

In the long run, he harbored ambitions to compete for the Director position.

As the call wrapped up, Deputy Director Bai added a special reminder. “Listen, kid, don’t go pulling stunts like directly offering cash, antiques, cigarettes, alcohol, or tea leaves. With regulations so strict these days, no one would dare accept such obvious gifts. Plus, doing so would backfire. Assistant Qin would look down on you and question your character.”

The law was strict—both giving and receiving bribes were illegal.

Gift-giving had become more about strategy and tact.

“Understood.”

Zhou Can hadn’t even considered offering money or antiques.

After ending the call with Deputy Director Bai, he began mulling over how to get Assistant Qin to agree.

Directly approaching Qin wouldn’t work. So what other options were there?

The only person who seemed capable of influencing Assistant Qin’s decision was Director Zhu.

As for the Party Secretary above Director Zhu, they rarely meddled in such specific matters, focusing instead on ideological policies.

For now, it was better to resolve the issues in the Emergency Department Operating Room first.

Right after the call, Dr. Xu emerged from the office, having changed into work clothes.

“Zhou Can, let’s get to work!”

Zhou Can was now a key player in the Emergency Department Operating Room. Dr. Xu entrusted him with many critical Level-3 surgeries.

“Mentor, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you and Chief Surgeon Lou.”

Zhou Can seized the opportunity to speak up.

Dr. Xu gave Zhou Can a deep, meaningful look.

“Looks like this is important. Since we haven’t entered the operating room yet, let’s handle it now.”

“Thanks, Mentor!”

“What are you standing there for? Let’s head to Chief Surgeon Lou’s office!”

Dr. Xu gestured for him to follow.

“Right away!”

The mentor and apprentice duo knocked on Chief Surgeon Lou’s office door and stepped inside.

Dr. Fu Chachun, seated in the doctors’ office, overheard the exchange between Zhou Can and Dr. Xu.

A cold smirk crept across his face as his irritation toward Zhou Can deepened.

This kid was too stubborn. He’d already been told there was no need to meddle in trivial matters—numbness in a patient’s toe wasn’t a big deal. Making such a fuss benefited no one.

Surely, even if Chief Surgeon Lou valued this kid, he wouldn’t let him act recklessly.

Noticing it was almost time to start his shift, Dr. Fu Chachun grabbed his consultation tools and headed to the Emergency Surgical Department window for duty.

Inside Chief Surgeon Lou’s office, the joint visit from Zhou Can and Dr. Xu caught him by surprise.

After inviting them to sit, Chief Surgeon Lou personally brewed tea for the pair.

“Has something happened?”

As department head, his greatest fear was something going wrong within the department.

Unexpected patient deaths, disabilities, or family disputes—each issue was enough to set his nerves on edge.

“Zhou Can mentioned outside that he has something to discuss with both of us. Since time is tight, I didn’t ask for details.”

Dr. Xu replied calmly.

“Every time Zhou Can brings something up, it’s no small matter. Let’s hear it. What’s the issue?”

Chief Surgeon Lou asked with a warm expression.

“Chief Surgeon Lou, Mentor, here’s the situation. I’ve noticed that the number of returning patients to our Emergency Department has been dropping lately. After some investigation, I found a serious decline in the quality of surgeries here, with many concerning issues. This is a follow-up survey report I had Ye Tingting compile. Out of ten surgeries, at least four left patients dissatisfied. Many experience various minor issues post-operation.”

Zhou Can presented the prepared survey report.

Both Dr. Xu and Chief Surgeon Lou were stunned after reviewing it. They likely hadn’t realized that the seemingly thriving Emergency Department had developed such severe problems.

“This is what happens when you overreach and strain yourself! The Emergency Department has grown rapidly over the past two years, but it’s left hidden issues behind. We’ve clearly neglected surgical quality.”

Chief Surgeon Lou’s face darkened, his brows furrowing sharply.

As an ambitious department head, he refused to let the Emergency Department become a hollow shell due to rapid expansion.

With his foresight, he immediately recognized that if this issue wasn’t addressed promptly, it could become a major liability.

“The drop in word-of-mouth referrals is indeed troubling. I’ve noticed it recently too, but I didn’t realize it was this bad. If we don’t train the newcomers, they can’t grow quickly. But if we lower standards, we end up with these serious problems. We need to find a way to overhaul this.”

Dr. Xu, the main person in charge of the Operating Room, was visibly frustrated.

Managing dozens of people in the Operating Room was far from easy.

Water too clear has no fish.

If rules were too strict, newcomers would fear surgeries and lack hands-on practice.

If too lenient, surgical quality suffered.

“The decline in surgical quality isn’t just among newcomers. Many veteran staff seem to have developed problematic work attitudes as well.”

Zhou Can believed that focusing solely on newcomers’ surgical quality wouldn’t fully solve the issue.

To fix this, they needed to tackle the root cause.

“Be specific!”

Chief Surgeon Lou’s gaze fixed on Zhou Can.

“For instance, during rounds yesterday, I noticed various minor issues with surgical patients. Some had improper suturing, others had incomplete procedures, and some cases showed a complete disregard for the patient’s best interests. Take a simple subcutaneous foreign body removal surgery—yet it left a ghastly wound on the patient’s thigh, with damaged skin flaps. This will at least double the healing time, and once it heals, it’ll leave an ugly scar.”

“Though the scar is on the thigh and usually hidden by pants, it’ll still affect the patient psychologically. Plus, scars like that often itch or ache during rainy weather.”

Zhou Can listed the issues he’d observed during rounds.

“Yesterday, I also came across a particularly telling case. A hospitalized patient in Emergency Surgical Department Bed 1 underwent toe separation surgery two days ago. Post-op, the third toe on their left foot became numb. Dr. Fu performed the surgery. I called him right away to discuss and find a solution to help the patient, but Dr. Fu thought it best to avoid extra trouble. As long as the toe showed no necrosis and healed well, he saw no issue.”

“This morning, I conducted further tests on the patient. That toe has even lost its ability to bend. If we clearly see a problem but ignore it, telling the patient it’s fine and to rest at home and see how it goes, imagine the outcome. This patient could go from being a loyal supporter of our hospital to a harsh critic. They’d tell everyone, ‘Don’t go to Tuyu Hospital, it’s awful. Their doctors crippled one of my toes and brushed it off as nothing.’”

Laying out this specific case in one breath, Zhou Can left Dr. Xu and Chief Surgeon Lou to ponder.

“I can understand Dr. Fu’s stance. The current medical environment is harsh, with intense doctor-patient conflicts. Sometimes, even good intentions are met with attacks from families and patients, which is disheartening. But for cases like this, if we could face them head-on and find a solution that helps the patient while protecting both parties’ interests, that would be ideal.”

The issues Zhou Can raised seemed minor at first glance.

But their negative impact was profound, essentially cutting into the interests of both the hospital and the doctors.

Doctors would undoubtedly resist.

Some might even harbor resentment.

Because this touched on the interests of everyone in the Operating Room.

“We must address the situation with the patient in Bed 1. We can’t just ignore it. We should communicate thoroughly with the patient and their family, and if they agree, perform a second surgery as soon as there’s hope. However, there are uncontrollable factors. The patient and family might refuse to cover the cost of a second surgery or suspect the hospital is dragging things out to make more money. They might think a single surgery should’ve sufficed instead of needing two.”

“And what if the second surgery still doesn’t resolve the issue? If the family and patient deem it a surgical error and take us to court, the hospital would have no defense.”

Chief Surgeon Lou, with his vast experience in handling doctor-patient disputes, could foresee many potential negative outcomes.

“In a hospital, kindness is often taken for granted. Almost every medical staff member has felt disheartened during their growth. I believe the issues Zhou Can raised should primarily be addressed at the root. We need a reward system to encourage getting surgeries right the first time, rather than being careless initially and thinking a second surgery can fix any problems.”

Dr. Xu’s expression was serious as he proposed the first solution.

“Old Xu makes a good point. Addressing the root cause is essential. Just like in medicine, preventing illness is far better than treating it after it occurs. You and Zhou Can should work out a detailed and feasible reward-and-punishment system. I’ll review it, then submit it to the Medical Department for approval. Once approved, we’ll implement it immediately. The surgical quality in the Emergency Department has reached an alarming state, and reform can’t wait.”

Chief Surgeon Lou gave his guiding opinion on the spot, strongly supporting Dr. Xu’s proposal.

“Tackling the root cause is a brilliant move, but we can’t have someone constantly standing by the operating table to monitor. That would add pressure to the surgeon, making it harder to perform and potentially causing mistakes. I suggest establishing a post-surgery evaluation system. Every completed surgery should be assessed and scored based on multiple standards. If the score falls below the benchmark, there should be penalties. If it consistently stays above the standard, there should be rewards.”

Zhou Can proposed a more concrete solution on the spot.

“That’s an excellent suggestion! I’ll leave the selection of evaluators to Old Xu.”

Chief Surgeon Lou’s eyes lit up as he immediately approved Zhou Can’s plan.

The criteria for selecting evaluators were strict. They had to be highly skilled in surgery and known for their fairness.