Du Heng thought about it for a long time and felt that he still needed to trouble the Pharmacy Doctor, as he had the resources in this area. Holding the prescription, he found the Pharmacy Doctor. After he explained the situation, the Pharmacy Doctor’s face darkened. "Dean, can you bother someone else? I really can’t handle this anymore." The Pharmacy Doctor had a miserable expression, clearly reluctant to take on Du Heng’s task. Du Heng was puzzled. "Dr. Shi, what’s wrong? When Li Qiuhua needed it, didn’t you manage to find it for her?" "Dean, Li Qiuhua’s situation was life-threatening. I had to get it for her, even if it meant losing face. But precisely because I was shameless, my former classmates and colleagues nearly blacklisted me. Besides, you know that blast-fried pangolin scales are a depleting resource. If substitutes are used, their efficacy is highly debatable. For others to prepare even a small amount for me, I’d owe them a significant favor." The Pharmacy Doctor, seeing an opportunity, began to pour out his grievances. "You have no idea. For Li Qiuhua, I had to ask twice in succession, for a large quantity each time. To repay those favors, I nearly spent a month’s salary! Those people are rapacious. If I go to them again, they’ll probably bankrupt me. Moreover, their own stock isn’t plentiful; they might not be willing to part with any for me." This was indeed a predicament! But Du Heng was also in a difficult position. If he changed the medicine and it didn’t achieve the required efficacy, it would be useless. He immediately set about persuading the Pharmacy Doctor. "Dr. Shi, look, this medicine is for Yang Yuansheng. You know his situation. His wife ran off long ago, and his daughter disappeared three years ago with his money. Now, his son is in university. If we don’t save him, both father and son will be ruined. You’re a kind-hearted person. I know you can’t bear to see this and surely sympathize with Yang Yuansheng and his son. How about this: you leverage your connections, I’ll cover the expenses, and we’ll consider it as doing good deeds and accumulating merit. What do you think?" The Pharmacy Doctor stared at Du Heng, speechless. A Dean resorting to moral blackmail... it was unbelievable. "We’re already doing good deeds and accumulating merit by treating him free of charge." "Ah, but when you save someone, you should see it through to the end, just like escorting the Buddha all the way to the West. Only then is it a truly complete act of merit." "I don’t plan on becoming an immortal. This is good enough." "Please, just help out. As I said, if you owe favors, I’ll provide the money to help you repay them, no matter the cost." After hesitating for a moment, the Pharmacy Doctor looked at the prescription in his hand, sighed, then pressed it onto his desk. "You’re the superior here; I can’t argue with you. But you must keep your word. Don’t release my clam; otherwise, they’ll truly blacklist me." "Rest assured, my word is my bond. When the time comes, you can be the host, and I’ll treat. Pick any place you like." "When do you need it?" The Pharmacy Doctor seemed to have given up resisting. "He’s being discharged this afternoon, so I’ll have to trouble you to get it done right away." The Pharmacy Doctor began to take off his white gown and said to another pharmacy doctor nearby, "I’ve already prepared the medicines needed for the hospital room today. When Dr. Wu and Dr. Yu come for them later, just give them these." "Understood, Dr. Shi." The Pharmacy Doctor came out with Du Heng, who quietly asked, "Will this girl be able to pass the pharmacist’s professional practice examination this year?" "It shouldn’t be a problem, but it’s still early, so there’s no rush." "The exam is in October; that’s quite soon," Du Heng reminded him. "But honestly, your exams are really troublesome." "Ha, I find your professional practice exams troublesome too. Anyway, it’s not easy for any of us." "By the way, remember to get a dried whole placenta as well." The Pharmacy Doctor rolled his eyes. "I wouldn’t be able to procure a fresh one even if you asked." After seeing off the Pharmacy Doctor, Du Heng still had no time to rest. He then called Yu Haiting to his office. Once they were seated, Du Heng got straight to the point. "Dr. Yu, I’d like to make a slight adjustment to your work." "Please tell me, Dean." "I want you to take charge of the Emergency Department." Yu Haiting was taken aback. "The Emergency Department?" "Yes, the Emergency Department. You’re aware of our Health Clinic’s current situation. To complete the final upgrade, all departments must be established and functional. Other departments are more or less in place, but emergency services remain a gap. As a graduate student, you’re definitely more specialized in this area than I am. We can’t always rely on the Bureau for assistance; we need to devise our own strategies to strengthen this weak link." Yu Haiting hesitated slightly. "Then what about the General Outpatient Department?" "Everything there will continue as usual. You’ll concurrently hold the position for the Emergency Department, just to get the basic structure established first. We currently have an ambulance and various pieces of emergency equipment, but we lack a leader and a sound emergency protocol. Your task is to formalize this into a professional procedure. Even if we only serve as a transfer point, we must be able to provide immediate aid to the villagers when they need it." "If we’re truly to set up an Emergency Department, other aspects shouldn’t be an issue, and professional skills can be taught through training. However, I’m afraid we don’t have enough manpower. Once the Emergency Department is operational, we must ensure 24-hour staffing." Du Heng immediately provided an answer. "We’re different from large hospitals; we don’t need to hire dedicated emergency personnel. This will be an all-hands-on-deck effort from the whole clinic; all our medical and nursing staff will be part of the emergency reserve pool. You’ll take the lead during the day, and the on-duty doctor and nurse will be responsible at night." Yu Haiting slowly nodded but still raised a concern. "With that arrangement, staffing from our medical team shouldn’t be an issue. We already have inpatients, so staff are assigned to shifts daily. But what about the ambulance driver? We only have one right now. We can’t expect him to be on call 24/7 indefinitely." "I’ve been thinking about this for the past couple of days too. However, I don’t think we’ll have that many emergency calls. Besides, Master Wang lives right next to the Health Clinic. We’ll have to manage for now. Once the upgrade is confirmed, we can hire another driver, and they can work in shifts." Hearing Du Heng’s plan, Yu Haiting said worriedly, "What if Master Wang is unwilling? Keep in mind, if he’s on 24-hour standby, his phone must be on at all times, he can’t drink, and he must be available whenever called." "If he disagrees, we’ll dismiss him and hire someone who is willing. During his years at the Health Clinic, he’s had the easiest job—easier than mine as Dean. This is just a transitional period of a few months. If he’s not willing, then I’ll find someone who is. I believe there are plenty of people like that out there." Yu Haiting looked up at Du Heng. He never expected the usually good-natured Du Heng to actually suggest firing someone. However, with Du Heng’s assurance, setting up the framework for the Emergency Department wouldn’t be too difficult for him. "Alright, then I’ll give it a try?" "No, it’s not about trying. You must establish the Emergency Department properly, so that the villagers and the leadership can see and feel its impact. Otherwise, all our efforts will be in vain." Yu Haiting said no more and nodded, accepting the task. As for Du Heng, he finally had some time to review his special report for the upcoming professional title assessment. Chapters first released on novęlfire.net It was all starting tomorrow. To say he wasn’t nervous would be an outright lie. After all, this was a major event in his life; how could he not be nervous?
