Chapter 51 - 051 Pie falls from the sky

Words : 1549 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 51: 051 Pie falls from the skyTownship Health Centers have quotas for Deputy Chief Physicians, and it’s relatively easy to achieve this rank after the required years of service. For frontline practitioners in townships, the promotion to Deputy Director title doesn’t require a supporting thesis; instead, a special report must be written. However, the problem was that given the patient volume at the Health Centers and the medical skills of their doctors, producing high-quality special reports that truly demonstrated their capabilities and met the Health Commission’s standards was simply too difficult. Even if they managed to pass, the Health Centers had limited quotas for such positions. Consequently, they wouldn’t be paid at the Deputy Chief Physician level but would remain at the attending Physician pay grade. That’s why most weren’t very motivated. Was this tempting for Du Heng? Not really. Without other conditions, it held no allure at all. There weren’t many people like Li Qingde who served as Dean while also holding a Deputy Director position. Across all six townships and nine streets in the Shanghu District, whether in Township Health Centers or Community Hospitals, there were only two individuals like Li Qingde who held both positions. So, with Li Qingde leaving, Du Heng could simply continue to work at the Zhonghu Town Health Clinic for another three years and still obtain the Deputy Chief Physician title. There was no need to go to Fanjiaping. In this Health Clinic, with only three doctors, no one was his competitor. As for Zhang Jinlian, if she had possessed the ability, would she have had to wait until now? So, she wouldn’t stand a chance three years from now either. Du Heng’s eyelids twitched violently; he knew Li Qingde wasn’t finished. As expected, seeing Du Heng’s gaze, Li Qingde continued, "I can recommend you for an exceptional promotion to Deputy Director." After speaking, his eyes remained fixed on Du Heng, trying to gauge his genuine reaction. His reasons for doing this were simple: 1. Du Heng was talented and would be very helpful for Li Qingde’s future work. 2. A doctor with Du Heng’s exceptional skills would inevitably leave the Health Clinic. Helping him now would earn goodwill, which could prove useful later. 3. It was a beneficial act that cost Li Qingde little, an easy move to make. In this matter, he only needed to give his daughter a heads-up. He basically wouldn’t have to exert himself, incur any debts of gratitude, or even spend money. Everything he did would align with policy requirements. 4. The Health Clinic’s promotion quotas were unused anyway; he was merely using one to extend a favor. 5. Whether the promotion ultimately succeeded would depend on Du Heng’s own capabilities. Regardless, Li Qingde had made the recommendation, taken action, and offered help; therefore, Du Heng would owe him a favor that must be repaid. 6. Du Heng was not an ungrateful person; this was a conclusion Li Qingde had drawn from working with him for five years. Moreover, there was an element of quid pro quo involved. He needed to ensure Du Heng’s silence regarding his own non-participation in the medical visits to Upper Village; that had to be kept secret. Du Heng almost jumped up in surprise, but his rationality prevailed; he knew it was an impossible feat. "Dean, you must be joking. I don’t meet the requirements." "Where do you fall short?" Li Qingde asked playfully. "First, I don’t have enough years of service; I still need two more years. And second, I don’t have any noteworthy achievements to speak of." Li Qingde chuckled and said mysteriously, "And what if you had a paper published in a core journal?" Sёarch* The nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Du Heng was stunned. Promotion to Deputy Director at a Township Health Center required a special report showcasing professional skills, unlike at Big Hospitals where high-quality papers were needed. For a doctor at a Township Health Center, having one or two papers published in national core journals was far more influential than winning any district, city, or even provincial-level awards. However, if doctors at Township Health Centers struggled to write clear special reports, how could they possibly produce papers suitable for core journals? Li Qingde leaned back on the sofa, crossing his legs. "Xiao Du, you know I have a daughter, right?" "Yes, her name is Li Pingxia." "And do you know where she works?" Du Heng paused, surprised. "I don’t know." Li Qingde smiled. "It doesn’t matter if you don’t know. I can tell you this: if you have a paper, and its quality is truly good, then your paper can be reviewed and published with the utmost speed. Of course, the prerequisite is that the quality must be solid." "Core journals?" "Naturally." Li Qingde looked seriously into Du Heng’s eyes. "Do you have the confidence to complete such high-quality papers? During this past month of visiting Upper Village, you’ve accumulated over a thousand disease records. Has that been helpful to you?" Du Heng’s heart was pounding. With the system’s Internal Medicine Expertise backing him, his technical skills weren’t an issue. He had spent the entire past month treating patients day and night while visiting Upper Village. If he carefully selected from them, the number of corresponding disease records wouldn’t be a problem either. Moreover, as a university graduate, he had been through the crucible of writing a graduation thesis; composing academic papers was familiar territory. Given these conditions, completing three or four high-quality papers would only take him a few days. "Can you do it? Can you write them?" Li Qingde pressed. How could Du Heng pass up such a great opportunity? He would have to write them eventually anyway, so why not now? "I’ll try. I think I can do it." "Then hurry up and write them. Get them published before the application deadline for Deputy Chief Physician." Du Heng nodded. "Then what about the seniority issue?" Li Qingde stood up and walked to his Office Desk. "The selection process for Deputy Chief Physicians in Township Health Centers is inherently simpler; you should be well aware of this. Before the new year, the Health System held a meeting. This year, they’re planning to vigorously develop grassroots medical care, with significant policy and financial backing tilted towards these efforts. There’s a particular focus on supporting and promoting young doctors. And what you’ve accomplished this past month, the results you’ve produced, are more than enough to meet the reporting criteria." Du Heng was a bit bewildered. He had spent the entire month engrossed in treating patients; he had no idea what accomplishments Li Qingde was referring to. Li Qingde took out a folder and, looking at its contents, said, "This month, you treated a total of 37 patients with Paralysis or hemiplegia. Among them, one patient can already walk with family assistance, and five patients can stand or sit up. Although the others are a bit further behind, they have all regained sensation. Standing up and moving around is on the horizon for them." Li Qingde slapped the file down on the table and looked earnestly at Du Heng. "With treatment results like these, with accomplishments like these, are you telling me you’re not qualified?" Du Heng’s mind short-circuited for a second. Then, images of the patients who had come to him due to Paralysis flashed through his mind one by one. To be honest, he felt a pang of guilt. He should have followed up with these patients and continued their treatment. But this past month, his mind had been entirely focused on the patient numbers tracked by the system, and he had completely failed to keep up with subsequent treatments. For example, the patient Li Qingde mentioned who could already move—that patient definitely needed a change in medicine at this stage. Yet, to this day, he hadn’t addressed it. All patient follow-up had been delegated to Song, who wasn’t even a medical professional. Shameful. That was no way for a doctor to act. Du Heng didn’t feel a shred of complacency from these achievements; instead, he began to reflect on his own shortcomings. He resolved then and there: starting today, he would follow up on all the patients he had examined and treated, especially those who were critically ill. He absolutely could not make such an error again. Seeing Du Heng’s stunned expression, Li Qingde assumed he was simply overwhelmed by these figures. Because when Li Qingde had first heard these figures from Song and had personally visited to investigate, he had been even more astonished than Du Heng appeared to be now. In over thirty years working in grassroots healthcare, Li Qingde had never seen, let alone heard of, a doctor with Du Heng’s level of skill. Were they the only ones surprised? Of course not. The reason the assessment team had arrived this afternoon was that he, Li Qingde, had submitted a summary of these disease records two days prior. And why was he, Li Qingde, able to secure a transfer to Fanjiaping? It was precisely because of this material. Even Song had benefited. Otherwise, on what grounds would Song be appointed acting Dean after Li Qingde’s departure?

Chapter 51 - 051 Pie falls from the sky

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