Spring passed and autumn came.
They could not afford to drink spring tea, so they bought autumn tea to satisfy their cravings. This was probably the mentality of the Wang family in the hospital.
The ICU was the nobility among the gold-devouring beasts in the hospital. In just a short week, it had used up more than 100,000 RMB from the Wang family. Even though the fees in the later stages were obviously reduced, in the first week, the Wang family's foundation was still completely wiped out.
For an ordinary wage earner, spending 10,000 RMB a day was still enough to make people want to die even if they had medical insurance in the later stage.
Fortunately, the patient's condition improved day by day, and with Zuo Cidian's persuasion, Wang Zhong's family managed to persevere.
But it was also quite difficult for them to persevere.
Zhang Anmin watched Wang Zhong's eldest son go from eating takeout from KFC to eating steamed buns and pickled vegetables, but he could not do anything about it. He could only be careful when he prescribed medicine.
As a surgeon, he could not even guarantee that the surgery would be perfect, let alone the financial problems of the patient.
Zhang Anmin had never encountered such patients and their family members before. He usually performed cholecystectomy and other surgeries. He had to pay 10,000 RMB or 20,000 RMB for surgeries, and his medical insurance might only cost a few hundred to a thousand RMB. Even if some families were poor, it would not be that bad.
But liver cancer surgery was different. The cost before and after hepatectomy alone was a few times higher than cholecystectomy, and the cost of nursing care and expenses in the later stage were even higher.
Early morning.
After another surgery, Zhang Anmin habitually went to the ICU to see Wang Zhong.
"He was sent back to the general ward." The ICU nurse saw Zhang Anmin and gave him an answer.
Zhang Anmin was stunned. "Why are they sending him back now? He should stay for at least two or three days. "
"The patient strongly requested it, and he can't afford it." The ICU nurse was used to this, so she was not surprised and said, "If he is sent to the special care unit now, the course of the disease will be longer. The patient strongly requested it, and we can't do anything about it."
"Doctor Ling has already waived a lot of fees."
"The ICU fees can't be waived," the nurse answered and ignored Zhang Anmin.
Zhang Anmin returned to the Operating Area absent-mindedly.
For the doctors in the Ling Treatment Group, staying in the Operating Area was more relaxing. After all, when he stayed in the ward area, he had to write medical records, visit patients, answer questions from family members, make ward rounds, prescribe medication, and manage the group of young doctors …
The temperature in the Operating Area was suitable, and it was maintained at a constant temperature. It was neither too hot nor too cold, and it calmed Zhang Anmin down a little.
"What are you thinking about?" Zuo Cidian looked like he was patrolling, and he could tell that Zhang Anmin's expression was off.
Zhang Anmin did not feel embarrassed and said, "It's about Wang Zhong. He moved out of the ICU today because he has no money. No matter what, it's my first liver cancer surgery, so I feel a little uncomfortable … "
In his heart, Zhang Anmin could not forget Wang Zhong because he was the first hepatectomy he performed after he was promoted to an assistant lecturer.
Zuo Cidian did not need to guess what Zhang Anmin was thinking. He listened to Zhang Anmin's explanation and nodded slowly. "You shouldn't think about this kind of thing. If you think about it, you'll be unhappy."
"Right. Sigh … Actually, in my opinion, since Doctor Ling has already reduced a lot of the fees for them, this amount of money should be enough for them to stay for a few more days. Then, they can move to another ward normally. If he stays for a few more days, the infection will be under control, and the patient will suffer less, right? "
"When it comes to suffering, the ICU is one of the best." Zuo Cidian paused for a moment and said, "You're thinking very well. You think that the reduced fees can offset the cost of the ICU, but in fact, the money saved is the other party's money. If you want to calculate it, many people can only stay in the ICU for a few days with the money they earn in a year."
"If you put it this way, many Africans won't be able to pay for this surgery even if they earn their whole lives." Zhang Anmin retorted. He thought for a while and said, "Do you think we can reduce the fees a little more?"
"If we want to reduce the fees, Department Director Huo will have to agree," Zuo Cidian said calmly, "Department Director Huo is not as easy to fool as Doctor Ling."
As expected, Zhang Anmin was terrified.
Reducing the fees was not something that could be done just by saying it. Forget about the amount of paperwork that needed to be done, the amount of money that could be reduced was limited and limited. After all, Yun Hua Hospital was a unit that allocated funds based on the budget. Reducing the fees meant that the government also gave subsidies.
Zhang Anmin really did not have the confidence to get Department Director Huo to agree to the use of such a sum of money.
"Fine, pretend that I didn't say anything. If I get Department Director Huo to agree, I might as well pay for it myself." Zhang Anmin shook his head and persuaded himself to give up.
"What do you want Department Director Huo to agree to?" Ling Ran walked over from behind.
Ling Ran was still very responsible for the internal work of the Ling Treatment Group and the Emergency Medical Center.
Zhang Anmin turned around a little stiffly and looked at Zuo Cidian nervously.
He did not know whether he should answer Ling Ran's question.
"Just say it." Zuo Cidian directly gave him a hint.
Zhang Anmin had no choice but to repeat the matter again.
Zuo Cidian immediately said, "My suggestion is that we can't make this cut. We perform hepatectomy every day, and this is a major surgery. It's complicated, and the cost is also high. Truth be told, less than one percent of people can perform the surgery with only one or two months of income."
Zhang Anmin looked at Zuo Cidian in shock. 'Didn't you ask me to say it?'
Zuo Cidian glanced at Zhang Anmin and said directly, "I have to give Doctor Ling both suggestions as a reference. If you don't say it, you won't even have the chance to use it as a reference. "
Zhang Anmin was speechless, but he had to accept Zuo Cidian's kindness.
Ling Ran thought about it and said, "Then, let's do the ward round in advance and go to the ward to take a look."
"Should the surgery be delayed?" Yu Yuan chased after him and asked.
"You're the chief resident, so you'll be the chief surgeon first." The next surgery was cholecystectomy, and it was still within the scope of Yu Yuan's skills.
Yu Yuan hesitated for a moment before she slowly nodded.
Everyone turned together and headed to the ward area without any change in formation.
…..
Intensive care unit.
Wang Zhong lay on the hospital bed with his eyes closed and eyebrows furrowed.
It had been more than a week since the surgery ended. If it were a young man, he would have already started to think about being discharged. However, for an old man who was over sixty years old, a hepatectomy was like cutting off half of his life.
He was also not willing to use too many painkillers because he was afraid that he would become addicted to them. So, he endured it himself. Until now, his lips were full of ulcers, and he could not even bite his teeth anymore.
"Do you want to use another bottle of nutritional pills and albumin?" His eldest son looked at his father's pained expression and said in a low voice, empathizing with his father.
"Nutritional pills are just nutritional pills. They don't treat diseases, alright?"
"Money should be used where it counts."
Two relatives also said in a low voice.
His eldest son did not have much money anymore. If he wanted to use money, he would have to borrow money. His relatives did not support him, so he could not be stubborn.
At this time, Wang Zhong moved his neck and said, "The surgery is over. I just need to sleep. All of you can leave, I don't need anyone to accompany me."
After he finished speaking, he coughed.
His son immediately went to persuade him, and the other relatives stood up and left.
Wang Zhong still had his eyes closed and said, "Don't run anymore. I know my body. I'm fine. I'll be fine in a few days."
"Let me take a look." Ling Ran walked to the door and heard Wang Zhong's words.
Wang Zhong's eyes immediately opened, and he said in surprise, "Doctor Ling?"
"Yes, lie down and don't move." Ling Ran went forward to do a physical examination.
As expected, Wang Zhong did not move.
"According to the report, your body is recovering well." Ling Ran stood up. "How do you feel?"
"Pretty good." Uncle Wang smiled.
"If that's the case, the only obstacle to recovery is financial pressure?" Ling Ran turned around and asked Zuo Cidian.
Zuo Cidian thought about it. "Is that so?"
"Yes," Zhang Anmin quickly answered.
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