Reborn as Zhao Ruilong of Handong, I will defy fate.

Chapter 298 The Allure of Power! Lu Yike's Kindness!

"What are you looking at? Let's go!"

Lu Yike's urging brought Zhao Ruilong back to his senses.

"The checkup is over so quickly?"

Zhao Ruilong quickly got up.

"It's just an ultrasound scan, of course it won't take long!"

As she spoke, Lu Yike took the mineral water bottle from Zhao Ruilong's hand and quickly drank some water to moisten her throat.

In preparation for today's prenatal checkup, she not only skipped breakfast but also didn't drink a drop of water.

"How long will it take to get the report?"

Zhao Ruilong knew that she was less than three months pregnant, and the fetus was probably not even fully formed yet.

But after all, this is the first child he has ever had since he came to this world, so he can't help but feel anxious and curious.

Lu Yike was busy drinking water, while the chief physician of obstetrics and gynecology who was accompanying her for the examination quickly smiled and said:

"You don't need to wait here. They will send the report to my office once it's ready."

"I will call Section Chief Lu then and explain the inspection results in detail."

Zhao Ruilong nodded slightly.

He thought to himself, "As expected, people in power are different."

Ordinary people who want to cut in line have to give a red envelope (cash gift).

But his girlfriend, Lu Yike, came to the hospital for a pregnancy checkup...

It's more than just not having to queue.

The best hospital in Jingzhou, with the top-notch chief physician in the obstetrics and gynecology department, personally accompanied me during the examination.

After the check-up, you don't even need to wait for the results; you can just leave.

The chief physician will call later to explain the examination report in detail.

It is important to know that since the medical reform in the 1990s, the promotion of doctors in China has been roughly divided into four stages.

First comes the junior physician, then the intermediate attending physician, then the associate chief physician, and finally the chief physician.

Therefore, a chief physician is basically equivalent to an 'expert'.

It's difficult for ordinary patients to even get an appointment with such an "expert".

Not only are the prices higher, but the number of times they can see patients each week is also limited.

Therefore, appointments with specialists at major hospitals are often only available through scalpers.

"Damn, that's the special allure of power!"

"A wonderful experience that money can't always buy!"

With a sigh, Zhao Ruilong pointed to the middle-aged man sitting in a wheelchair.

"He's coughing very badly, could you let him get a checkup first?"

"Sure, of course!"

The chief physician immediately waved to signal.

The middle-aged woman stood up, somewhat bewildered.

She clearly hadn't expected this unexpected joy to come so suddenly.

"Thank you, thank you!"

"You're welcome. Take your husband in for a checkup right away!"

"Okay, okay! Thank you, thank you doctor, thank you everyone!"

The woman bowed repeatedly, thanking everyone.

She then quickly pushed her husband into the ultrasound room.

Zhao Ruilong remained silent.

This world is so ironic.

Hardworking, kind, and law-abiding ordinary people often lead difficult lives.

Those who cheat, deceive, and commit evil often live very comfortably.

So it's not that Heaven is unfair, but rather that the very rules, once established, bring enormous benefits to those who break them.

As I walked downstairs through the lobby, I saw an old woman at the service desk, shouting angrily.

It attracted many people to stop and watch the spectacle, and it also caught Zhao Ruilong's attention.

The matter is actually very simple: the old woman's husband is sick and hospitalized, and the money is flowing out like water.

I was only admitted to the hospital a few days ago, but they arranged more than a dozen tests for me, and I also had to receive intravenous infusions and take medicine every day.

The staff at the information desk naturally told the old woman to go to her husband's attending physician if she had any problems.

The old woman angrily retorted that it was the doctor who treated her husband who told her to file a complaint if she had any problems.

The old woman was naturally furious at being passed around like this.

Zhao Ruilong had considered the old woman's plight, and realized that many people would sympathize with her.

But what was unexpected was that many people not only sympathized with the hospital, but even joined in criticizing it.

Difficult to register, numerous tests, and high fees...

The old woman wasn't the only one complaining.

"Stop looking, let's go!"

“This kind of thing doesn’t just happen today, nor does it only happen at this hospital.”

“It can be said that every day, countless people across the country feel that it is difficult and expensive to see a doctor, but what can be done?”

Lu Yike tugged at Zhao Ruilong, urging him to leave.

Zhao Ruilong smiled coldly.

"If there's no other way, can't we try to find a solution?"

Lu Yike's stubbornness kicked in immediately.

"Then what's the best way?"

"In a country with over a billion people, medical resources are severely insufficient, and the medical level of small hospitals is still not high."

"If you get even a slightly serious illness, you have to go to a big hospital. Doesn't this lead to a situation where there are too many doctors and not enough patients, and a tense doctor-patient relationship?"

"What do you think is the best way to prevent ordinary people from having to spend a lot of money on minor medical treatment, and almost going bankrupt on major medical treatment?"

Zhao Ruilong quickly smiled and said, "Don't be angry, be careful not to upset the baby!"

"I'm not angry. You were the one who said you'd find a way to solve it!"

Lu Yike tilted her head and looked at Zhao Ruilong with a scrutinizing gaze.

Zhao Ruilong knew her temper.

She definitely won't give up until she gets a decent answer.

"I definitely have a solution, but there are too many people here. Let's go outside and talk in the car!"

"Alright, I'd like to hear what your brilliant ideas are!"

After saying that, Lu Yike strode away from the hospital with her head held high.

She was still as confident and energetic as ever.

She doesn't look like she's more than two months pregnant at all.

Zhao Ruilong followed silently behind, his mind racing.

He then got into the van, and before he had even sat down, Lu Yike turned to him and asked:

"Tell me, what's your plan?"

Zhao Ruilong said with a wry smile, "There are too few doctors and too many patients. This imbalance between supply and demand is something that no one can solve."

"I can't conjure up a lot of highly skilled doctors out of thin air, nor can I make many patients suddenly recover without treatment!"

Lu Yike snorted coldly, "Stop beating around the bush and tell me your plan!"

Zhao Ruilong said, "What I mean is that the problems of difficulty and high cost of seeing a doctor cannot be completely solved, but we can think of some ways to alleviate them."

"For example, let's think about it: why do major hospitals nowadays almost always like to do more tests and prescribe more medicine? Is it really necessary for treating illness? Obviously not."

"The fundamental reason is that ten years ago, the wave of market-oriented reforms not only led to a wave of layoffs in many state-owned enterprises, but also brought the medical field to the market."

"The original intention was to tap into the vitality and potential of hospitals through market-oriented means, improve the level of medical services through market competition, benefit patients, and at the same time reduce the financial burden."

"The seemingly win-win medical marketization reform has resulted in hospitals becoming responsible for their own profits and losses. Their primary task is no longer to treat patients and save lives, but to strive to generate revenue, and over-medicalization has naturally become an inevitable result."

"After all, driven by profit, who wouldn't want to make more money? Order more tests, prescribe more medication, and perform more surgeries. The more money patients spend, the more money the hospital can make."

Lu Yike crossed her arms over her chest.

"And then what? Your solution is to change it back?"

Zhao Ruilong nodded and said:

"Of course, but not all of them will be changed back!"

"As the economy continues to develop and social wealth continues to accumulate, there will definitely be more and more well-off and affluent families."

"Compared to ordinary people, they have stronger purchasing power and willingness to pay for more expensive and better medical services."

"If you spend more money, you won't have to wait in line for all the check-ups and medical treatments. You'll have a personal assistant who accompanies you throughout the process and provides excellent service. I'm sure some people would be willing to pay that."

"Therefore, in line with the development of the times, the medical industry should undergo market-oriented reforms, allowing social capital to enter the medical industry and establish private hospitals."

“Private hospitals that prioritize profit can open departments, purchase medical equipment, recruit nurses, and provide high-quality services based on market demand.”

"Let those who get rich first enjoy better medical services by spending money. This can generate income for medical staff and also inspire everyone's enthusiasm for working hard. What's wrong with that?"

"For example, with a first-class maternity hospital with top-notch facilities and services, you won't need to come here for prenatal checkups and delivery. And with a professional cosmetic surgery hospital, you can fulfill the desire of wealthy people to become more beautiful or handsome."

Lu Yike nodded slightly.

"That's a good idea!"

"If we could get most of the powerful and wealthy to go to private hospitals, it would not only boost employment and consumption, but also alleviate the problem of insufficient medical resources to some extent!"

"The problem is that private hospitals, which are built with great effort by capital, offer good service but are definitely very expensive, making them unaffordable for ordinary people. What should they do then?"

At this point, Lu Yike pointed to the outpatient building, which was bustling with people coming and going.

"Looking around now, the vast majority of people coming to see a doctor are ordinary people. How do you plan to alleviate their difficulties and high costs in accessing medical care?"

Zhao Ruilong smiled slightly.

"Public hospitals should be changed back!"

"Our country, China, is socialist, not capitalist. We are a country where the people are the masters!"

"Since for a long time, many of our ordinary people have had low incomes and limited spending power."

"Therefore, our medical care and education should adhere to the principle of universal access, with the aim of ensuring that ordinary people can afford medical treatment and education."

"Education is relatively easy to make universal access to education. If tuition and textbook fees are waived for nine years of compulsory education, and living allowances are provided for students from poor families, then the educational level of the Chinese people will definitely be greatly improved."

"Public access to healthcare obviously cannot simply mean restoring public hospitals to their public welfare nature and making them non-profit-oriented. Our country's fiscal revenue is limited and cannot afford high medical expenditures, so we should also establish a universal health insurance system."

"Nowadays, our urban employees have medical insurance. In addition to government agencies and state-owned enterprises, more and more joint ventures and private enterprises are paying social security for their employees, and employees have seen significant improvements in their medical security."

"But our country still has hundreds of millions of farmers, as well as a large number of migrant workers and small business owners who have moved to the cities. They do not have medical insurance, so we need to develop a resident medical insurance program so that people can get a lot of medical expenses reimbursed when they are sick and hospitalized."

Lu Yike frowned and said, "But they don't earn much money all year round. In many places, they still have to pay agricultural taxes, and they have to raise money to build roads and irrigation canals. I'm afraid their willingness to pay for medical insurance is not very high!"

"Therefore, it is necessary to lower the fee threshold and provide government subsidies!"

Before Lu Yike could raise any questions, Zhao Ruilong spoke first:

"You'll definitely think this will result in a loss."

"But since we want to reduce the burden on ordinary people and make medical care affordable for everyone, we have to do it even if it means losing money!"

"To achieve common prosperity and build a moderately prosperous society, is it just a matter of empty slogans?"