Ling Ran stayed in the Third People’s Hospital of Yun Hua City for four days and performed forty-five knee arthroscopic meniscoplasty surgeries in total. Only then was he done with his out-of-hospital consultation trip.
Throughout these four days, the staff members of the Third People’s Hospital of Yun Hua City also got to witness the skills of the renowned Doctor Ling Ran from Yun Hua Hospital.
“Doctor Ling relieved forty-five patients of their misery, which means that he also relieved forty-five families of their misery. I would like to express my gratitude to you on behalf of all the patients and their family members.” Fu Yuanduan, the associate director of the Third People’s Hospital held the silk banner that he had already prepared beforehand. He handed it to Ling Ran using both hands and took a photograph with him to commemorate the moment.
The one who took the photograph was a reporter from Yun Hua Daily that the Third People’s Hospital hired.
To express their gratitude to Ling Ran, they deliberately increased media coverage regarding the work Ling Ran had done in their hospital. This was a trick hospitals often used, as it was easier for them to get things done using outside connections rather than real money. Besides, most of the time, doctors doing out-of-hospital consultations in other hospitals also preferred this.
Even though Fu Yuanduan reckoned that Ling Ran might not understand the nature of such implicit rewards, he believed that Doctor Zuo Cidian would be able to explain it to Ling Ran.
Ling Ran nonchalantly posed for a photograph with Fu Yuanduan. Ling Ran had never liked to think much when participating in this kind of social activities.
After the photograph was taken, Fu Yuanduan thanked the reporter and sent him off. He then walked Ling Ran to the car and said with a smile, “Doctor Ling, we will continue to collect some cases in the coming days. If we do not have enough time to invite you for an out-of-hospital consultation by the time there are enough cases, we will have to invite you over to carry out the surgeries as an individual.
Compared to his previous verbal expressions of gratitude, Fu Yuanduan sounded even more sincere right now.
When a doctor went to another hospital to carry out surgeries in an individual capacity, it meant that he was performing a freelance surgery.
According to the number of surgeries Ling Ran had performed these few days during the out-of-hospital consultation, he would have earned tens of thousands of RMB every day, as every knee arthroscopic meniscoplasty would cost five thousand RMB.
Aside from this, freelance surgeons often bring their own medical consumables to the hospitals they were operating in. It was very normal for pharmaceutical sales companies to get a share of one or two thousand RMB for each surgery.
This had always been the strategy used by hospitals with patients with infectious diseases. On one hand, it was because surgeons who had never operated on patients with infectious diseases before were very aversive and scared when it came to treating patients with infectious diseases. Patients with hepatitis B were the most they could stomach. When it came to surgeries involving patients with AIDS and other infectious diseases, even though the success rate of post-exposure prophylaxis was up to 98% nowadays, most doctors were still unwilling to operate on those patients. This was because antiretroviral medicines came with plenty of side effects, and one would feel quite agonized after consuming them.
However, after a hospital with patients with infectious diseases managed to invite a surgical specialist by means of out-of-hospital consultations, it would be relatively easy for them to invite that same surgeon for freelance surgeries.
Surgeons were paid between 300 and 500 RMB a day for out-of-hospital consultations, and this was already the upper limit. It was nothing compared to the surgery fees they could receive from carrying out freelance surgeries. At this moment, many surgeons would be willing to perform freelance surgeries in those hospitals when they thought about how many surgeries they had performed for such a low sum of money in return.
Of course, there were always patients who were unable or unwilling to pay for a few thousand or almost 10,000 RMB to be operated by a specialist. Hence, the Third People’s Hospital would still try to enlist as many surgical specialists through out-of-hospital consultations as possible…
But no matter what, hospitals who were able to gather a large number of patients could always find ways to survive. The difference was just that some thrived well, and some did not.
Even Zuo Cidian got a little tempted when he heard that. He bargained on behalf on Ling Ran, “Doctor Ling doesn’t have much free time, so you will have to make a reservation beforehand, besides, you have also seen Doctor Ling’s skills…”
“Of course, Doctor Ling’s abilities could definitely be put to good use in the Third People’s Hospital. The Third People’s Hospital has its own advantages when it comes to this,” Fu Yuanduan laughed and said, “After all, he would be operating on patients with infectious diseases. Even though some surgeons have superb skills, we do not dare to engage them because they are careless when it comes to infection control. But Doctor Ling is different from those doctors. Even though I’m not very experienced, I can see that Doctor Ling has a very conscientious personality and carries out surgeries extremely meticulously. I don’t even think that he operates on patients with infectious diseases or ordinary patients any differently.”
Fu Yuanduan’s laughter attracted the attention of plenty of doctors from the Third People’s Hospital, and they walked over to take a look.
Since all doctors lived in the ivory tower of medicine, they were naturally drawn to doctors with superb skills, whether they were in hospitals for patients with infectious diseases or ordinary hospitals. Even though they would not regard that doctor as someone so profound they could not understand them, they would still definitely them highly.
Even hospital leaders who were women who smoked, permed their hair, and tattooed their bodies would internally categorize the doctors in the hospital according to their skills.
All the doctors from the Third People’s Hospital who had witnessed Ling Ran’s skills throughout these few days naturally perceived Ling Ran as a rare talent.
A few department directors and surgical infectious disease practitioners who were not required to show up nodded at Ling Ran in acknowledgement.
“Doctor Ling, you carried out more than forty surgeries, and none of the patients have had any postoperative complications. If I didn’t know that you are from Yun Hua Hospital’s Emergency Department, I would have thought that you are an infectious disease specialist.”
“I have always heard that Emergency Departments do things pretty crudely. Doctor Ling really changed my perception.”
“There was a patient who could be discharged today, but I forced him to stay for another day. I know that he has fulfilled all the requirements required to be discharged, but I want to further observe him. Ling Ran is probably the top in Yun Hua City when it comes to knee arthroscopic meniscoplasty.”
Even the department directors of the Third People’s Hospital were full of praise for Ling Ran.
This was also because Ling Ran was already the leader of a treatment group in the Yun Hua Emergency Medical Center. In hospitals, doctors who held this position were usually on their way to become a department director. They were ranked even more highly than ordinary associate chief physicians.
Of course, in ordinary departments of ordinary hospitals, all the leaders of treatment groups were at least associate chief physicians. There were very few exceptions.
The rule of thumb in most hospital departments was that as time passed, they would definitely be divided into a few sub departments.
Take the Emergency Department of Yun Hua Hospital as an example. If Huo Congjun were not such a strong character, with the passing of time, those who had been holding the position of chief physician for quite some time might ask for the Emergency Department to be divided into sub departments such as the First Division Emergency Department, Second Division Emergency Department, Pediatric Emergency Department, Fever Clinic, and Emergency Department for the Critically Ill, among others. With every new name, there could be one more department director.
This was one of the tactics many hospitals used to prevent their doctors from jumping ship to other hospitals.
Being the leader of a treatment group of Yun Hua Emergency Medical Center was enough to garner the respect of doctors from the Third People’s Hospital of Yun Hua City, which was a tertiary Grade B hospital.
Besides, many of them were impressed by Ling Ran’s skills.
He exhibited all the qualities of a superb surgeon, as he had excellent skills, followed surgical procedures meticulously, and did not even talked much.
All doctors liked to establish connections with ace surgeons like Ling Ran.
Ling Ran merely listened to them as he gave a socially appropriate smile.
He had experienced plenty of such occasions and no longer find them difficult to handle.
“Doctor Ling, I’ll see you soon, then.” Fu Yuanduan opened the door to the backseat for Ling Ran.
“Young Wang, be careful on the road. Make sure that Doctor Ling arrives at his destination safely.” One of the cadres of the Medical Affairs Department reminded the driver.
“Doctor Ling, perhaps we will get to see each other again in a few days.” The department director of the Department of Surgery for Infectious Disease Patients winked at Ling Ran.
Even though the remuneration for freelance surgeries were often equivalent to the amount of work done, sometimes, a surgeon could earn a large sum of money from them by putting in very little effort.
Of course, this did not apply for major surgeries such as cardiothoracic surgeries. But for minor ones such as knee arthroscopic surgeries, if a surgeon were to raise the price of each surgery a little to 6,000 or 7,000 RMB, he could get tens of thousands of RMB within a day.
And when it came to the freelance surgery market, even though the skills of the freelance surgeon was a decisive factor, personal connections and the relation between supply and demand of a certain type of surgery played a major role in a freelance surgeon’s income.
Ling Ran understood what the department director of the Department of Surgery for Infectious Disease Patients meant. He could not help but shake his head. “Unfortunately, I won’t have the time to carry out surgeries for the next week or two.”
“Huh? Are you involved in a project or something?”
“No, I need to prepare for my medical licensing exam.” Ling Ran raised his head slightly as he sat in the car. His countenance while it was illuminated by the sunlight was gentle.
The department director of the Department of Surgery for Infectious Disease Patients looked like he was dizzy from the sunlight. He could not help but furrow his eyebrows. “Medical licensing exam? You need to prepare for your medical licensing exam?”
“Yeah.”
As the department director of the Department of Surgery for Infectious Disease Patients gazed at Ling Ran, he felt like asking Ling Ran if he was going over there as an examiner.
But after looking at Ling Ran’s face, the department director could not bring himself to say something that went against his logical reasoning—Ling Ran was obviously not at the age where he could become an examiner. Even if the regulating body lacked manpower, they would not take in such a young doctor…
So…
Ling Ran was really going to prepare for his medical licensing exam “‘OTL.
“We’ll take our leave first, then.” Zuo Cidian nodded at the department director of the Department of Surgery for Infectious Disease Patients and gently closed the car door. He then jogged toward the second car.
The small sedan with Ling Ran inside slowly drove off and disappeared from everyone’s field of vision.
“I remember that someone had told me before that Ling Ran is still an intern.”
“How could an intern’s skills possibly be so superb?”
“If age is a factor, there wouldn’t be doctors who can’t even hold a scalpel at the age of forty.”
“When you compare him to freelance surgeons, he makes it seem as if there’s no longer anything surprising about interns performing surgeries.”
As the doctors chatted, a few of the patients’ family members rushed out of the ward building.
“I heard from the nurses that Doctor Ling is going back to Yun Hua Hospital today?” When one of the patients’ family members saw the doctors who were gathered together, he quickly went forward and asked.
All the doctors looked warily at him, and no one answered him.
“I’m just here to give Doctor Ling a gift. These are jujubes from my hometown, and they’re produced by the factory I bought. They’re packaged already…”
The patients’ family members who came after him nodded and asked in unison, “Where’s Doctor Ling? Is he gone?”
“He’s gone.” The department director of the Department of Surgery for Infectious Disease Patients could not help but feel a little jealous. Even though he had been in the Third People’s Hospital for quite a long time, there were rarely patients’ family members who were so proactive in giving him gifts.
The patients’ family members glanced at one another. Someone suggested, “Let’s enlist a delivery service to send our gifts over to Doctor Ling.”
“I don’t mind sending them over.”
“I’ll go with you…”
“Let’s not. What if he doesn’t like us doing that? We have, after all, been staying in a hospital with patients with infectious diseases.”
“Doctor Ling isn’t like that.”
“If other people mind, it would make Doctor Ling uncomfortable too. I think that we can enlist a delivery service to send our gifts over to Doctor Ling first. Later on, we can get a silk banner made and delivered to Yun Hua Hospital.”
After the patients’ family members conducted a quick discussion, they booked a truck from Meituan to deliver their gifts.
After a short while, a container truck that weighed about two tonnes entered the parking lot of the Third People’s Hospital.
“We’re having our Koi Fish Promotion right now. We’ll deliver your stuff for free today.” After the truck driver waved at them, two muscular men exited the truck from the back. The three of them wrapped the gifts in layers of bubble wrap and placed them inside a long box. Then, they filled the long wooden box with sawdust. After they secured the long wooden box to the container, the two muscular men sat on long benches on each side of the container respectively.
They looked like they were delivering firearms.
The automatic door slowly rose and separated the container from the outside.
The driver then nodded solemnly at the patients’ family members, who were dumbfounded, and returned to the drivers’ seat with a determined expression. The moment he started the truck, two large SUVs sandwiched the truck.
The two SUVs and the truck sped toward their destination.
Ling Ran stayed in the Third People’s Hospital of Yun Hua City for four days and performed forty-five knee arthroscopic meniscoplasty surgeries in total. Only then was he done with his out-of-hospital consultation trip.
Throughout these four days, the staff members of the Third People’s Hospital of Yun Hua City also got to witness the skills of the renowned Doctor Ling Ran from Yun Hua Hospital.
“Doctor Ling relieved forty-five patients of their misery, which means that he also relieved forty-five families of their misery. I would like to express my gratitude to you on behalf of all the patients and their family members.” Fu Yuanduan, the associate director of the Third People’s Hospital held the silk banner that he had already prepared beforehand. He handed it to Ling Ran using both hands and took a photograph with him to commemorate the moment.
The one who took the photograph was a reporter from Yun Hua Daily that the Third People’s Hospital hired.
To express their gratitude to Ling Ran, they deliberately increased media coverage regarding the work Ling Ran had done in their hospital. This was a trick hospitals often used, as it was easier for them to get things done using outside connections rather than real money. Besides, most of the time, doctors doing out-of-hospital consultations in other hospitals also preferred this.
Even though Fu Yuanduan reckoned that Ling Ran might not understand the nature of such implicit rewards, he believed that Doctor Zuo Cidian would be able to explain it to Ling Ran.
Ling Ran nonchalantly posed for a photograph with Fu Yuanduan. Ling Ran had never liked to think much when participating in this kind of social activities.
After the photograph was taken, Fu Yuanduan thanked the reporter and sent him off. He then walked Ling Ran to the car and said with a smile, “Doctor Ling, we will continue to collect some cases in the coming days. If we do not have enough time to invite you for an out-of-hospital consultation by the time there are enough cases, we will have to invite you over to carry out the surgeries as an individual.
Compared to his previous verbal expressions of gratitude, Fu Yuanduan sounded even more sincere right now.
When a doctor went to another hospital to carry out surgeries in an individual capacity, it meant that he was performing a freelance surgery.
According to the number of surgeries Ling Ran had performed these few days during the out-of-hospital consultation, he would have earned tens of thousands of RMB every day, as every knee arthroscopic meniscoplasty would cost five thousand RMB.
Aside from this, freelance surgeons often bring their own medical consumables to the hospitals they were operating in. It was very normal for pharmaceutical sales companies to get a share of one or two thousand RMB for each surgery.
This had always been the strategy used by hospitals with patients with infectious diseases. On one hand, it was because surgeons who had never operated on patients with infectious diseases before were very aversive and scared when it came to treating patients with infectious diseases. Patients with hepatitis B were the most they could stomach. When it came to surgeries involving patients with AIDS and other infectious diseases, even though the success rate of post-exposure prophylaxis was up to 98% nowadays, most doctors were still unwilling to operate on those patients. This was because antiretroviral medicines came with plenty of side effects, and one would feel quite agonized after consuming them.
However, after a hospital with patients with infectious diseases managed to invite a surgical specialist by means of out-of-hospital consultations, it would be relatively easy for them to invite that same surgeon for freelance surgeries.
Surgeons were paid between 300 and 500 RMB a day for out-of-hospital consultations, and this was already the upper limit. It was nothing compared to the surgery fees they could receive from carrying out freelance surgeries. At this moment, many surgeons would be willing to perform freelance surgeries in those hospitals when they thought about how many surgeries they had performed for such a low sum of money in return.
Of course, there were always patients who were unable or unwilling to pay for a few thousand or almost 10,000 RMB to be operated by a specialist. Hence, the Third People’s Hospital would still try to enlist as many surgical specialists through out-of-hospital consultations as possible…
But no matter what, hospitals who were able to gather a large number of patients could always find ways to survive. The difference was just that some thrived well, and some did not.
Even Zuo Cidian got a little tempted when he heard that. He bargained on behalf on Ling Ran, “Doctor Ling doesn’t have much free time, so you will have to make a reservation beforehand, besides, you have also seen Doctor Ling’s skills…”
“Of course, Doctor Ling’s abilities could definitely be put to good use in the Third People’s Hospital. The Third People’s Hospital has its own advantages when it comes to this,” Fu Yuanduan laughed and said, “After all, he would be operating on patients with infectious diseases. Even though some surgeons have superb skills, we do not dare to engage them because they are careless when it comes to infection control. But Doctor Ling is different from those doctors. Even though I’m not very experienced, I can see that Doctor Ling has a very conscientious personality and carries out surgeries extremely meticulously. I don’t even think that he operates on patients with infectious diseases or ordinary patients any differently.”
Fu Yuanduan’s laughter attracted the attention of plenty of doctors from the Third People’s Hospital, and they walked over to take a look.
Since all doctors lived in the ivory tower of medicine, they were naturally drawn to doctors with superb skills, whether they were in hospitals for patients with infectious diseases or ordinary hospitals. Even though they would not regard that doctor as someone so profound they could not understand them, they would still definitely them highly.
Even hospital leaders who were women who smoked, permed their hair, and tattooed their bodies would internally categorize the doctors in the hospital according to their skills.
All the doctors from the Third People’s Hospital who had witnessed Ling Ran’s skills throughout these few days naturally perceived Ling Ran as a rare talent.
A few department directors and surgical infectious disease practitioners who were not required to show up nodded at Ling Ran in acknowledgement.
“Doctor Ling, you carried out more than forty surgeries, and none of the patients have had any postoperative complications. If I didn’t know that you are from Yun Hua Hospital’s Emergency Department, I would have thought that you are an infectious disease specialist.”
“I have always heard that Emergency Departments do things pretty crudely. Doctor Ling really changed my perception.”
“There was a patient who could be discharged today, but I forced him to stay for another day. I know that he has fulfilled all the requirements required to be discharged, but I want to further observe him. Ling Ran is probably the top in Yun Hua City when it comes to knee arthroscopic meniscoplasty.”
Even the department directors of the Third People’s Hospital were full of praise for Ling Ran.
This was also because Ling Ran was already the leader of a treatment group in the Yun Hua Emergency Medical Center. In hospitals, doctors who held this position were usually on their way to become a department director. They were ranked even more highly than ordinary associate chief physicians.
Of course, in ordinary departments of ordinary hospitals, all the leaders of treatment groups were at least associate chief physicians. There were very few exceptions.
The rule of thumb in most hospital departments was that as time passed, they would definitely be divided into a few sub departments.
Take the Emergency Department of Yun Hua Hospital as an example. If Huo Congjun were not such a strong character, with the passing of time, those who had been holding the position of chief physician for quite some time might ask for the Emergency Department to be divided into sub departments such as the First Division Emergency Department, Second Division Emergency Department, Pediatric Emergency Department, Fever Clinic, and Emergency Department for the Critically Ill, among others. With every new name, there could be one more department director.
This was one of the tactics many hospitals used to prevent their doctors from jumping ship to other hospitals.
Being the leader of a treatment group of Yun Hua Emergency Medical Center was enough to garner the respect of doctors from the Third People’s Hospital of Yun Hua City, which was a tertiary Grade B hospital.
Besides, many of them were impressed by Ling Ran’s skills.
He exhibited all the qualities of a superb surgeon, as he had excellent skills, followed surgical procedures meticulously, and did not even talked much.
All doctors liked to establish connections with ace surgeons like Ling Ran.
Ling Ran merely listened to them as he gave a socially appropriate smile.
He had experienced plenty of such occasions and no longer find them difficult to handle.
“Doctor Ling, I’ll see you soon, then.” Fu Yuanduan opened the door to the backseat for Ling Ran.
“Young Wang, be careful on the road. Make sure that Doctor Ling arrives at his destination safely.” One of the cadres of the Medical Affairs Department reminded the driver.
“Doctor Ling, perhaps we will get to see each other again in a few days.” The department director of the Department of Surgery for Infectious Disease Patients winked at Ling Ran.
Even though the remuneration for freelance surgeries were often equivalent to the amount of work done, sometimes, a surgeon could earn a large sum of money from them by putting in very little effort.
Of course, this did not apply for major surgeries such as cardiothoracic surgeries. But for minor ones such as knee arthroscopic surgeries, if a surgeon were to raise the price of each surgery a little to 6,000 or 7,000 RMB, he could get tens of thousands of RMB within a day.
And when it came to the freelance surgery market, even though the skills of the freelance surgeon was a decisive factor, personal connections and the relation between supply and demand of a certain type of surgery played a major role in a freelance surgeon’s income.
Ling Ran understood what the department director of the Department of Surgery for Infectious Disease Patients meant. He could not help but shake his head. “Unfortunately, I won’t have the time to carry out surgeries for the next week or two.”
“Huh? Are you involved in a project or something?”
“No, I need to prepare for my medical licensing exam.” Ling Ran raised his head slightly as he sat in the car. His countenance while it was illuminated by the sunlight was gentle.
The department director of the Department of Surgery for Infectious Disease Patients looked like he was dizzy from the sunlight. He could not help but furrow his eyebrows. “Medical licensing exam? You need to prepare for your medical licensing exam?”
“Yeah.”
As the department director of the Department of Surgery for Infectious Disease Patients gazed at Ling Ran, he felt like asking Ling Ran if he was going over there as an examiner.
But after looking at Ling Ran’s face, the department director could not bring himself to say something that went against his logical reasoning—Ling Ran was obviously not at the age where he could become an examiner. Even if the regulating body lacked manpower, they would not take in such a young doctor…
So…
Ling Ran was really going to prepare for his medical licensing exam “‘OTL.
“We’ll take our leave first, then.” Zuo Cidian nodded at the department director of the Department of Surgery for Infectious Disease Patients and gently closed the car door. He then jogged toward the second car.
The small sedan with Ling Ran inside slowly drove off and disappeared from everyone’s field of vision.
“I remember that someone had told me before that Ling Ran is still an intern.”
“How could an intern’s skills possibly be so superb?”
“If age is a factor, there wouldn’t be doctors who can’t even hold a scalpel at the age of forty.”
“When you compare him to freelance surgeons, he makes it seem as if there’s no longer anything surprising about interns performing surgeries.”
As the doctors chatted, a few of the patients’ family members rushed out of the ward building.
“I heard from the nurses that Doctor Ling is going back to Yun Hua Hospital today?” When one of the patients’ family members saw the doctors who were gathered together, he quickly went forward and asked.
All the doctors looked warily at him, and no one answered him.
“I’m just here to give Doctor Ling a gift. These are jujubes from my hometown, and they’re produced by the factory I bought. They’re packaged already…”
The patients’ family members who came after him nodded and asked in unison, “Where’s Doctor Ling? Is he gone?”
“He’s gone.” The department director of the Department of Surgery for Infectious Disease Patients could not help but feel a little jealous. Even though he had been in the Third People’s Hospital for quite a long time, there were rarely patients’ family members who were so proactive in giving him gifts.
The patients’ family members glanced at one another. Someone suggested, “Let’s enlist a delivery service to send our gifts over to Doctor Ling.”
“I don’t mind sending them over.”
“I’ll go with you…”
“Let’s not. What if he doesn’t like us doing that? We have, after all, been staying in a hospital with patients with infectious diseases.”
“Doctor Ling isn’t like that.”
“If other people mind, it would make Doctor Ling uncomfortable too. I think that we can enlist a delivery service to send our gifts over to Doctor Ling first. Later on, we can get a silk banner made and delivered to Yun Hua Hospital.”
After the patients’ family members conducted a quick discussion, they booked a truck from Meituan to deliver their gifts.
After a short while, a container truck that weighed about two tonnes entered the parking lot of the Third People’s Hospital.
“We’re having our Koi Fish Promotion right now. We’ll deliver your stuff for free today.” After the truck driver waved at them, two muscular men exited the truck from the back. The three of them wrapped the gifts in layers of bubble wrap and placed them inside a long box. Then, they filled the long wooden box with sawdust. After they secured the long wooden box to the container, the two muscular men sat on long benches on each side of the container respectively.
They looked like they were delivering firearms.
The automatic door slowly rose and separated the container from the outside.
The driver then nodded solemnly at the patients’ family members, who were dumbfounded, and returned to the drivers’ seat with a determined expression. The moment he started the truck, two large SUVs sandwiched the truck.
The two SUVs and the truck sped toward their destination.
