The Enhanced Doctor-Chapter 707: Rapid development also has its downsides in the

"President Liu, we're thrilled to see you here," said the pediatrics nurses upon seeing Liu Banxia.

"This is all I can do for now," Liu Banxia said with a laugh.

"I saw a long line at the pediatric department this morning and figured it must be a busy day for you all. I'm off tomorrow, so I decided to come help out. No need for formalities. Let's stick to yesterday's routine. The goal is to get all these morning IVs done efficiently. Once I'm finished, I can grab lunch. Dr. Chen and his team can manage the consultations," he added, putting on his mask and gloves to get to work.

He was truly a godsend for the pediatric department. Whenever he came to cover a shift, he managed to stabilize the environment. Even though he was just helping with the children's IVs, it seemed to trigger a positive chain reaction.

After he finished his work, lunchtime had already passed by a bit, but he was still able to join the pediatric doctors for a meal.

"Regarding the development of pediatric surgery, I mentioned it to the director. He's very supportive, but it involves quite a lot," Liu Banxia said.

"If it were easy, other hospitals would have done it already. You need to put in more effort and cultivate more," replied Chen Hongyang.

"When the interns come, you can make some adjustments. Anyone interested in this field can be sent to our pediatric department first."

"Some people find this work very mentally stressful, but once you interact more with the children, your mindset slowly changes."

"But you also have to evaluate them properly. Those who aren't mentally tough enough definitely can't do this job. Losing a newborn on the surgical table versus losing an adult—although both are lives, there's still a difference when you compare them."

"Sigh... that's just how it is. The stress is immense. At least, the few I've asked so far don't want to endure this hardship. Huh? Qing Kewa, why are you only just now going for lunch?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Dr. Liu, have you just finished work as well? I'm in the second group for lunch today; the morning patients caused some delays," Qing Kewa replied.

"You're going back next month, so don't work yourself so hard. This is your most relaxed period since you've already completed your studies," Liu Banxia said.

"But I don't know what to do yet! When will you treat me to some delicious kebabs?" Qing Kewa inquired.

Chen Hongyang couldn't help but chuckle. That's the difference, I suppose. If it were a local intern, they usually wouldn't ask so directly. Then again, it wasn't set in stone; interns mentored by Liu Banxia often tended to be quite lively.

"Tonight then. You're off tomorrow, so you can go hang out with Qiaoqiao. It's been a while since you've had a day off, hasn't it?" Liu Banxia suggested warmly.

Qing Kewa nodded. "Recently, Xu Yino and Liu Yiqing have both been very busy. When I have time off, I don't know what to do. Most of the time, I just sleep in and then come here to work."

"You won't have to work so hard from now on. You don't have much time left here anyway. Do you still have some procedures or paperwork to take care of? Or would you rather stay and travel around China for a bit before heading back?" Liu Banxia asked.

"I haven't decided yet. I might travel around for a while," Qing Kewa said after a moment's thought.

"I'll have to start working when I go back home, but I haven't decided whether to work in a hospital or a private clinic yet. My father doesn't want me to work too hard, and I still haven't made up my mind."

"That's something only you can decide. Your family's financial situation is very good, so you can afford to be a doctor purely out of interest. If you want to achieve something significant in medicine, working in a hospital would probably be better," Liu Banxia said.

"The medical system over there is quite different from ours though, isn't it? Don't you have to visit a community clinic first, and then go to the hospital if the community clinic can't handle it? I remember you mentioned it once."

Qing Kewa nodded with a smile. "Yes, that's how it is. But there are also some private clinics that are very high-level and quite popular."

"So, that's something you'll need to think over carefully. There's no rush. In any case, you're already very skilled," Liu Banxia complimented.

Qing Kewa beamed at the praise. It's true, I really am quite skilled now.

Chatting away, they arrived at the canteen.

Liu Banxia had been busy with surgeries and helping out these past few days, so he often arrived late for meals. Director Fang and his team, after filming at the hospital for the entire day, had moved on to shoot elsewhere.

"President Liu, why have you been so busy lately?" Zhou Qiang asked, sidling up after getting his food.

"It can't be helped. I have to push myself now so I can get more rest later," Liu Banxia said.

"I can finally leave work on time today, and then I have a proper day off tomorrow. I'm excited just thinking about it! Just have to endure a little longer. Once I'm done with this chief resident stint, things will genuinely be easier."

"Haha, congratulations then. You guys eat first. You can rest a bit after you finish," said Zhou Qiang.

Liu Banxia nodded, then turned to Chen Hongyang. "Can't you try harder to get another pediatrician from the inpatient department? It's so exhausting now."

"You're asking me? Of course I want one! The problem isn't wanting, it's that we can't get anyone to come," Chen Hongyang said with a bitter smile.

"They're scarce resources. They promise to provide them, but the positions just don't get filled. What can we do? We just have to wait. Maybe one day we'll get someone."

"This is an emergency department; they wouldn't dare send anyone without solid experience here. It's a constant worry; the pediatric department is critically short-staffed."

This was a perennial problem, a reflection of the larger situation. Unless the emergency center's pediatric department managed to build a strong reputation, it would be difficult to attract more doctors.

But, by then, the number of young patients coming for treatment would also have increased. The availability of doctors would never be able to keep pace with the number of patients.

The patient volume at the emergency center was already huge. And that was just the current situation; if its reputation grew even more, the influx of patients would be even greater.

"Qing Kewa, are hospitals in your country this busy too?" Liu Banxia asked curiously.

Qing Kewa shook her head, looking a bit blank. "No, hospitals there aren't very busy. Except when trauma patients requiring emergency care make things a bit chaotic, the number of patients with other illnesses isn't that high."

"Haha, we can't compare ourselves to them. How many people do we have in our country, and how many do they have? Our population density is so much higher. One hospital in our urban areas probably handles as many patients as an entire city in their country," Chen Hongyang said, laughing.

Liu Banxia chuckled. He's right. The population difference is enormous, not just a tiny bit. What was I thinking comparing them? There's no basis for comparison at all.

"Later, I'll need to seriously consider how to strengthen the development of the emergency center's departments," Liu Banxia said.

"Back when the departments were initially staffed, only general surgery, which needed to handle more emergency trauma patients, was allocated a larger number of doctors. The other departments were essentially just scraping by."

"It's just that back then, there were fewer patients. Since the Spring Festival, the number of patients coming to our center has increased dramatically each day. The emergency center's overall caseload has grown, and more patients are being transferred from regional hospitals. It's a real headache."

"Our hardware is fine now; it's the software that can't keep up. Before the end of last year, there was talk of recruiting more people, but there's been no news so far."

"It's the same everywhere; people often opt for the familiar rather than trying something new," Chen Hongyang said.

"Take you, for example. If another hospital offered you a higher salary, would you switch jobs, putting aside family considerations?"

Liu Banxia shook his head. "Forget switching jobs, I wouldn't even want to go back to the inpatient department now if they asked. I haven't worked here for very long, but I've grown attached to this place."

"Dr. Liu, you could come to my country. We could open a private clinic together. You wouldn't need to invest any money; your participation alone would be enough," Qing Kewa said with a beaming smile.

"Haha, I'm too lazy to even move around within the country, let alone go abroad," Liu Banxia said with a laugh.

"Ah, I'm just venting a bit. The truth is, the pressure in all our departments is immense right now. Constantly working under such high stress with no time to catch a breath, people can really start to have problems."

"Later, I'll have to check with the director and see when we can actually get these positions filled. In any case, the current situation really needs serious consideration."

"It'll be a year soon, and the emergency center has undergone a sea change. Our center has successfully weathered the storm, so the hospital administration should really increase its investment in talent."

"The hospital administration probably never expected the emergency center to become this successful. Your contributions have been indispensable," Chen Hongyang said.

"Don't give me too much credit. At most, I'm just someone who rushes around filling in where needed. The real credit belongs to everyone," Liu Banxia said.

"Take the emergency patients we receive, for example. We only perform the initial diagnosis. After calling in other departments for consultations, many patients are transferred out directly."

"Cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, and orthopedics also handle a huge volume of patients. And during peak season for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, cardiology and neurology are incredibly busy too."

"However, our newly established obstetrics and gynecology department is doing exceptionally well. Overall, it's definitely the one that has developed the fastest. How long has it even been open? And it already has so many patients."

"We're currently paying the price for growing too fast. If things had progressed a bit more slowly, everyone wouldn't be so exhausted. How much longer do you reckon your pediatric department will be this swamped?"

"Just a day or two more. There was a drop in temperature a few days ago, and many parents didn't notice it," Chen Hongyang said.

"Well, that's not too bad then. At least there's an end in sight," Liu Banxia said.

Otherwise, if the patient volume stayed like this every day, someone would eventually be driven mad by exhaustion. That's how it is with seasonal illnesses; patient numbers can surge in an instant.

Moreover, disease treatment is a process, which makes coping with the sheer volume even more arduous.

Fortunately, Chen Hongyang and his team were highly skilled. Despite the exhaustion, they had managed to pull through perfectly.