Chapter 104: Surgical Showdowns at Tuyu Hospital

“Team Leader Zhong, it’s not as exaggerated as you claim. It’s just skin suturing.”

Deputy Director Ye looked over at Zhong Hui.

“Dr. Xu, could you check if what Zhou Can did really counts as suturing?”

Zhong Hui displayed the recorded footage to Dr. Xu.

“Oh—you’re talking about this. I was there teaching Xiao Zhou how to perform an appendectomy. What’s the issue?” Dr. Xu replied in an unruffled tone, completely unbothered.

He was undoubtedly a seasoned veteran.

It seemed he had never feared anyone.

Whether facing Director Xie or Team Leader Zhong, Dr. Xu always maintained a defiant, fearless demeanor.

Only when a patient’s life was on the line did he show any sign of tension.

“How can a trainee be allowed to handle high-risk steps in a Grade II surgery? And you question me about problems? How did you even become an attending? Haven’t you studied the surgical classification system or memorized the surgical safety regulations?”

Zhong Hui certainly had a natural knack for leadership.

His ability to pin the blame was arguably unrivaled.

“Team Leader Zhong, you used to be a surgeon, didn’t you? If senior doctors won’t let you operate, then you shouldn’t even touch it. You’re doomed to only watch from the sidelines—at this pace, you won’t perform Grade I surgeries even by the time you retire.”

Dr. Xu retorted in a cold tone.

That response turned Zhong Hui’s face a shade of green with anger.

He had always been just average in medicine, which led him to an administrative role.

Dr. Xu had merely been citing an example offhand.

But it struck a nerve with Team Leader Zhong.

“We must nurture new talent vigorously. Dr. Xu’s boldness in fostering newcomers is commendable, but safety must come first. In high-risk procedures, every step must be followed without haste.”

Deputy Director Ye offered his guidance.

Though his tone was measured, his message was clear: for now, Zhou Can must be kept away from the high-risk parts of Grade II operations.

“Next time, I won’t let him handle the risky segments of a Grade II procedure.”

Dr. Xu could only nod his agreement.

The issue was already laid bare—Team Leader Zhong had opened the debate, and Deputy Director Ye had already weighed in. If Dr. Xu failed to take a stand, he’d be seen as indecisive.

“Exactly—sounds perfect!”

Deputy Director Ye nodded approvingly.

With that, the meeting appeared ready to adjourn.

Yet Team Leader Zhong wasn’t finished just yet.

“Deputy Director Ye, one more matter. We’ve noticed a sharp decline in the Emergency Department’s surgical satisfaction ratings. After a thorough investigation, we suspect it’s linked to the two surgical trainees performing numerous Grade I surgeries. They’re merely trainees with limited skills—the quality of their work speaks for itself.”

This time, he had meticulously prepared to help the Surgical Department reclaim its cases.

For a top provincial hospital like Tuyu Hospital, medical quality is a lifeline, and strict standards are non-negotiable.

Low surgical satisfaction might be overlooked in smaller hospitals.

But here, nothing could be excused.

Dock the surgeons’ pay or impose overly strict demands, and they might simply jump ship.

After all, training a proficient surgeon is a challenging and lengthy process.

This pressure had left the surgical teams in smaller hospitals on constant high alert.

They were practically revered like family elders.

In many small hospitals, ophthalmologists and orthopedists often earn over 300,000 before tax.

Such incomes were considered extremely high.

In county hospitals, most chief physicians earned a regular salary of around 20,000.

Some specialist doctors even earned more.

While small hospitals only require that surgical doctors avoid mishaps, big hospitals demand high-standard postoperative recoveries. For instance, facial suturing must heal beautifully without unsightly scars; an appendectomy must be conclusive, without giving rise to further complications.

“Are there any statistical data to back this up?”

Deputy Director Ye’s brows furrowed, and his face turned stern.

Tuyu Hospital’s strength relied on its reputation and the effectiveness of its renowned doctors.

A serious drop in surgical quality was an alarming issue.

“There is!”

Team Leader Zhong signaled subtly to his female assistant.

She immediately produced several pre-printed statistical reports and respectfully handed them over to Deputy Director Ye.

“These are the surgical volumes and follow-up survey results from the Emergency Department Operating Room over the past three months. Please review them.”

Deputy Director Ye took the documents, carefully examining and comparing the data from the last three months.

“The number of surgeries has certainly risen, but the satisfaction ratings have plummeted,” he observed.

After reviewing, he passed the report on to Director Lou.

“I’ve been watching Xiao Zhou’s and Jin Mingxi’s performances closely—this shouldn’t be happening!” Dr. Xu frowned in confusion.

Although Jin Mingxi had recently lost his independent surgery qualification, his skills were still impressive.

The quality of his surgeries remained high.

As for Zhou Can, his surgical quality was so exceptional that Dr. Xu believed his work easily ranked among the top three in the Emergency Department Operating Room.

“Deputy Director Ye, I recommend suspending the surgical privileges of our two ED trainees, Zhou Can and Jin Mingxi. The Emergency Department should not encroach upon surgeries meant for specialized outpatient clinics. Every department has its own expertise—the Emergency Department should stick to emergencies.”

Zhong Hui had prepared meticulously, even inviting Deputy Director Ye to put a stop to the ED stealing cases from specialized clinics.

This issue struck at the heart of the Emergency Department’s progress, so Director Lou couldn’t agree so easily.

However, if he were to object, he needed a well-placed point.

Random objections would be useless.

Since Dr. Xu oversaw the Operating Room, he passed the report to him.

“Old Xu, have a look at this.”

Dr. Xu took the report and scrutinized it; every surgery was clearly listed with identification numbers, procedure details, and patient outcomes.

“I can’t recall details from the older surgeries due to the long time span, but in just the past week, none of the dozen or so surgeries with poor recovery were handled by Jin Mingxi or Zhou Can. Jin’s been busy observing these past two weeks rather than participating in the critical parts of surgeries.”

After reviewing the report, Dr. Xu was completely certain of the facts.

“Team Leader Zhong, haven’t you checked who performed these low-rated surgeries?”

Suspending Zhou Can’s surgeries would be a huge blow to the Emergency Department.

“Well… I haven’t really looked into it. With ratings this low, it’s obvious they were done by novices,” Zhong Hui admitted with growing unease.

Dr. Xu’s confident certainty only amplified Zhong Hui’s anxiety.

“Every participant in each surgery—the doctors, nurses, and each surgeon’s contribution—is traceable. While Deputy Director Ye is here, I sincerely recommend a thorough investigation. We should punish anyone at fault in the ED without showing any favoritism.”

After exchanging a meaningful glance with Dr. Xu, Director Lou publicly backed the proposal.

These seasoned figures wouldn’t jump to conclusions without solid evidence.

“I’ve got other matters to attend to; I’ll review the last few days later on.”

It was already close to six in the evening—the usual time for dinner.

Someone of Deputy Director Ye’s stature would never miss a dinner engagement.

He was likely in a hurry to attend an important banquet.

When it came to verifying the surgeons’ participation and each doctor’s contribution in the operating room, no one was more authoritative than the Medical Department.

When leadership speaks, Section Chief Xin naturally must respond.

He promptly called in two clerks from the Medical Department to assist with the investigation.

In less than ten minutes, everything was sorted out.

One had to admit that the advent of computers had tremendously eased office work.

They were fast and efficient.

“Section Chief Xin, everything has been thoroughly checked. Here are the participating doctors along with the percentage each contributed to the surgeries.”

Xin Wanshan took the report and carefully scanned through it.

Suddenly, his expression turned oddly perplexed.

“Deputy Director Ye, please take a look at this.”

After handing over the report, he cast a sympathetic glance at Zhong Hui.

As the head of the Medical Department, he understood all too well what Zhong Hui was up to.

It now appeared that all Zhong Hui’s efforts had been in vain.

“Who is Lu Qingyuan?”

Deputy Director Ye asked without pausing to look up.

“He is a senior resident from our Emergency Department Operating Room.”

“This man’s surgical skills need strict supervision—almost all the low-rated surgeries were performed by him. There’s also a doctor named Lin Ping whose ratings are similarly low, though a bit better than Lu Qingyuan’s.”

Deputy Director Ye’s face grew stern.

“Lin Ping is also a senior resident from our Emergency Department Operating Room. I will intensify training and supervision for both of them, so please rest assured.”

Dr. Xu’s expression twitched in embarrassment.

The talent pool in the Emergency Department was truly dismal.

Most of the staff were mediocre craftsmen ousted from other departments—some lacking natural talent, others with poor work ethics. It was all truly lamentable.

The Emergency Department was incredibly demanding.

Thankfully, this year they managed to secure two positions for general medical trainees.

One had to admit, the quality of these general trainees was truly remarkable.

In fact, the surgical ratings for Zhou Can and Jin Mingxi even surpassed those of two senior residents.

On hearing these results, Zhong Hui was surprised, yet still clung to a sliver of hope.

“How did Zhou Can and Jin Mingxi perform?”

After asking, he glared reproachfully at his female assistant.

She was chided for her lack of thoroughness for not verifying who was behind the low-rated surgeries.

This oversight left him extremely vulnerable.

“Jin Mingxi’s surgeries consistently scored above 8.5, and Zhou Can’s ratings… uh, never dipped below 9.5.” Deputy Director Ye seemed genuinely astonished by the data.

“See for yourself!”

He handed the report back to Zhong Hui.

Zhong Hui, after scanning the report several times, widened his eyes in disbelief as his facial expression contorted in shock.

“This… this can’t be! It’s utterly outrageous!”

He truly hadn’t expected the trainees’ scores to be this high.

Especially Zhou Can—his ratings were even superior to those of a typical attending.

A true elite of the Emergency Department Operating Room.

“Team Leader Zhong, the facts are now plain to see. Both Jin Mingxi and Zhou Can performed exceptionally well. Your claim about strict specialization seems biased. At Tuyu Hospital, the workload is largely shouldered by trainees—that’s what keeps us running.”

Not only Tuyu Hospital operates this way,

almost every major hospital follows a similar model.

Trainees receive only a basic salary—a truly inexpensive labor force.

Yet they accomplish a great deal.

Many departments, operating rooms, and imaging centers would be unthinkable without their contributions. Can you imagine having attendings in their forties or fifties handling all night shifts or even 24-hour on-call duties?

Would they even manage that?

At Tuyu Hospital, once you reach the attending level, you’re expected to undertake research—often at the provincial level—and publish high-caliber papers, at least in core journals.

For an attending to be promoted to associate professorship within five years, they needed three to five core-level papers and impressive research output; otherwise, they wouldn’t qualify even for review.

Not to mention that attendings are also tasked with mentoring.

Without trainees to share the burden, they might well burn out.

Deputy Director Ye’s words carried a note of criticism,

exposing Zhong Hui’s ulterior motives.

Zhong Hui’s face flushed with shame as he lowered his head, no longer daring to pick apart the Emergency Department.

“Your department must uphold strict surgical quality and patient safety. While you’re not expected to tackle cutting-edge cases, you must handle common ones impeccably. Emergency resuscitation rates must be rigorously maintained. I will continue to monitor your surgical scores; if there’s no improvement, we’ll dramatically cut down your surgical volumes.”

Deputy Director Ye admonished the Emergency Department firmly, yet without harshness.

Both Director Lou and Dr. Xu immediately pledged to implement his directives.

Inwardly, Zhou Can mused that Dr. Lu and Dr. Lin’s good days were numbered—this might be the final blow that saw their surgical privileges suspended.

After all, these were two senior residents!

They were established professionals.

It seemed that to truly succeed in the hospital, one had to excel in surgery, produce notable academic work, or exhibit strong administrative skills. Lacking these, even surviving until retirement would be a challenge.

“Who is Zhou Can?”

Deputy Director Ye’s gaze fell upon Zhou Can and Jin Mingxi.

“It’s me!”

Zhou Can quickly stood up in a display of respect.

After all, this was an institution-level leader—if even Director Lou dared not show any laxity, neither could he.

“Young man, your surgical performance is outstanding—truly exemplary. Keep it up. While the Emergency Department may not rival other departments, remember: brilliance is born of adversity. If you remain focused and work diligently, you’ll no doubt match anyone.”

Deputy Director Ye’s words served as a special encouragement for him.

Although still a trainee, Zhou Can’s surgical prowess was already remarkable.

In the future, he was destined for leadership.

“Alright, meeting adjourned!”

Deputy Director Ye glanced at his watch, swiftly tucked away his briefcase, and hurried off.

Director Lou and Dr. Xu exchanged pleased smiles.

The crisis had finally passed.

The Emergency Department had withstood two rounds of attacks from Director Xie, and the momentum in the Operating Room was unstoppable—as long as they remained prudent, it would only continue to grow.

Team Leader Zhong looked dejected, like a defeated rooster, his spirit thoroughly crushed.

He had truly suffered a vast defeat.

Despite all his scheming to assign blame and suppress the department’s most troublesome trainee, his efforts had backfired.

Who would have thought his meticulous investigation would inadvertently elevate Zhou Can’s standing?

This only further enhanced Zhou Can’s reputation.

There are few things as disheartening and ironic as this.

When Director Xie later learned of the outcome, he must have wished he could have smacked Zhong Hui for inadvertently bolstering Zhou Can’s status.

In Deputy Director Ye’s eyes, this left an indelible impression—future attempts to suppress Zhou Can would be met with insurmountable resistance.

The female assistant cast a lingering, introspective glance over the Emergency Department crew.

When her eyes settled on Zhou Can, they shone with a mix of curiosity and resignation.

She understood that at the heart of this affair was Zhou Can himself.

Team Leader Zhong’s repeated litany of Zhou Can’s supposed faults was utterly dismantled by Zhou Can’s undeniable competence.

A trainee who could cause Director Xie so much headache, leave Team Leader Zhong utterly helpless, and even receive personal praise from Deputy Director Ye—if he maintains this momentum, in just over a decade he might well be one of Tuyu Hospital’s most renowned doctors.