Chinese medicine: from rural hospitals to top three hospitals in Kyoto

Zhongzhou Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Dean He Zhiqun, along with the hospital's vice president, department directors, and a large group of experts, waited at the hospital entrance.

While waiting, He Zhiqun kept an eye on the time.

"Old Liu, Director Chen and his group should be arriving soon, right?" He Zhiqun asked Liu Zhuoyun, the vice president standing next to him.

"Coming."

Liu Zhuoyun said, "Judging by the time, it should be around this time, it should be soon."

After waiting for about ten more minutes, a bus with a Kyoto license plate approached from afar, and everyone at the Central Plains Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine immediately perked up.

Compared to the attitude of Hebei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhongzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine clearly attaches greater importance to the arrival of Chen Yang's team.

On the one hand, Chen Yang's team was specially invited by the Central Plains Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which shows that they attach great importance to the project.

On the other hand, Chen Yang and his group only stayed in Hebei Province for five days, but they still caused quite a stir.

Hao Rencai, the president of the Hebei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, personally reported Wang, the vice president of the hospital and a leader of a pharmaceutical company, as well as Zhang, a high-ranking official in Beijing, and others...

Dozens of people were implicated in the case at the Hebei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

It exposed problems such as medical corruption and drug misuse...

This incident made the Central Plains Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine even more determined to handle the matter.

The bus came to a smooth stop in front of the impressive outpatient building of the Central Plains Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The car door opened, and Chen Yang stepped out first, followed by Zhuang Qiwen, Yu Shiyun, Xia Hongliang, Li Chengjie, and other students from the Southern Group.

After five days of training in Hebei Province, these young people have lost some of their naivety and gained more composure and sharpness, and their eyes reveal the confidence that comes from real-world experience.

"Director Chen, welcome, welcome! You must be tired from your journey!" Dean He Zhiqun immediately stepped forward with a big smile and warmly shook hands with Chen Yang.

He Zhiqun was slightly overweight and had a kind face, but the shrewdness that flashed in the depths of his eyes did not escape Chen Yang's notice.

"Dean He, I'm so sorry to have kept you and your colleagues waiting for so long," Chen Yang replied modestly, shaking hands with Vice Dean Liu Zhuoyun and other department directors behind He Zhiqun.

"Director Chen, you're too kind! It's a great honor for us to have you and all these talented young people come to our Zhongzhou Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine for guidance and exchange!" He Zhiqun said warmly, adopting a very humble attitude.

"The accommodations have been arranged at a hotel near the hospital; the conditions are decent. Please settle in and get some rest. Tonight, I'll host a welcome dinner for you all at 'Yu Xiang Lou,' the best restaurant in Zhongzhou!"

The level of hospitality received was incomparable to that when they first arrived in Hebei Province.

Clearly, news of the storm in Hebei Province, which Hao Rencai had deliberately ignited, had spread rapidly and had a significant deterrent effect. In Zhongzhou, no further negligence was warranted.

Chen Yang smiled and politely declined, saying, "Dean He appreciates your kind offer, but there's no need for a welcome banquet. Our purpose here is to learn and exchange ideas, so let's keep things simple. If it's convenient, we hope to get back to our daily work at the hospital as soon as possible."

He Zhiqun's surprise deepened, and he quickly said, "Director Chen is truly a compassionate doctor who never forgets his work. Alright, then we'll do as Director Chen suggests. But we still need to have a simple meal. How about we have it in our hospital cafeteria and let him experience the life of our staff?"

"When in Rome, do as the host says." Chen Yang nodded in agreement.

After settling their luggage, they had a simple lunch in a private room in the hospital cafeteria. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was fairly harmonious, but Chen Yang could sense that He Zhiqun, Liu Zhuoyun, and the others were speaking cautiously, with obvious signs of observation and probing.

In the afternoon, the formal visit and exchange began.

The Central Plains Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine is no smaller than the one in Hebei Province. Its newly built inpatient building soars into the sky, boasting a highly modern interior and a dazzling array of advanced medical equipment. The outpatient volume is enormous, with long queues forming outside each consultation room, creating a bustling scene.

However, as the visit progressed, Zhuang Qiwen, Yu Shiyun, and other astute students gradually discovered some unusual aspects.

"Director Chen, please take a look at their traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy."

Zhuang Qiwen whispered to Chen Yang, "The Chinese medicine regulations are very comprehensive, but the consumption rate of many medicinal materials in the medicine cabinets does not seem to match the outpatient volume, especially some expensive medicinal materials."

Chen Yang nodded slightly; he had also noticed this detail.

With a large number of outpatients, the commonly used medicinal materials should theoretically be consumed quickly, but the inventory of some high-priced tonic medicinal materials appears to be unusually "ample".

Meanwhile, Yu Shiyun also discovered a problem while accompanying the internal medicine ward rounds.

"This patient was diagnosed with 'deficiency of both heart and spleen,' but his tongue was bright red with little and dry coating, and his pulse was thready, rapid, and forceful. It was clearly more like 'yin deficiency with excessive fire.'"

Yu Shiyun whispered to Xia Hongliang beside her, "Moreover, the prescriptions used are almost always the same Gui Pi Tang with modifications. It feels... a bit formulaic."

Xia Hongliang frowned as he looked at the medical record and said in a low voice, "Indeed, the diagnosis was not precise enough. Moreover, look at the Chinese patent medicines he used; they are all quite expensive, and their indications do not completely match the patient's condition."

Initial impressions suggest that while the Zhongzhou Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine appears prosperous with top-notch facilities and a large patient flow, its internal medical quality, especially the core aspects of TCM diagnosis and treatment, seems to have significant problems, subtly revealing a tendency to prioritize efficiency over efficacy.

After the visit, a brief discussion was held in the hospital's conference room.

Dean He Zhiqun delivered the opening remarks, warmly welcoming Chen Yang's team once again and introducing the hospital's basic information, expressing his pride in the hospital's scale and revenue growth.

When it was Chen Yang's turn to speak, he maintained a gentle yet firm attitude.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Dean He and all colleagues. We are here with a learning mindset, hoping to gain a deeper understanding of the valuable experience of Zhongzhou Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in providing TCM services. We also hope that our trainees can broaden their horizons through practice. In the next few days, we would appreciate your valuable guidance."

Chen Yang's words were very polite to the other party, but the phrases "deep understanding" and "gaining knowledge through practice" made He Zhiqun and others' eyes flicker slightly.

After the meeting, He Zhiqun personally escorted Chen Yang to the temporary office that had been arranged for him.

"Director Chen, please feel free to ask if you need anything else," He Zhiqun said warmly.

"Dean He is so considerate." Chen Yang smiled and asked casually, "By the way, Dean He, I've heard that your hospital is very specialized in treating some difficult and critical illnesses, especially in the field of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine?"

A hint of barely perceptible pride flashed across He Zhiqun's face: "I wouldn't dare say it's unique, but we have indeed made some explorations and efforts."

"To be honest, Director Chen, our hospital has developed rapidly in recent years and has seen a lot of complex cases, especially in the ICU. We often admit critically ill patients who Western medicine doctors have given up on, and whose families are transferred here as a last resort."

"Oh?"

Chen Yang showed great interest: "Then we must observe and learn properly this time. I wonder if we can be arranged to visit the ICU tomorrow and participate in the discussion of some difficult cases?"

He Zhiqun hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course! It's an opportunity we'd love to have such an expert as Director Chen provide guidance. I'll have the ICU make preparations right away, and tomorrow morning we'll have a hospital-wide consultation on difficult cases!"