A doctor who travels through two eras

Some people might think that people in the 1960s had a weak sense of family, as if they were indifferent to life and death.

Especially in families with many children, such as five, six, or seven, the parents won't be too heartbroken if one or two children die.

Even when most families encounter a seriously ill child, they don't try their best to save the child, but just wait for the child to die. When the child is buried on the mountain, there won't even be a tombstone.

This is actually another form of Emperor Hui of Jin's thinking.

If you could travel back to the 1960s, or even earlier in ancient times, you would know that this is not a matter of whether parents are anxious or not, or whether they have a concept of family affection.

Instead, they were destitute farmers with absolutely no way to save their children or elderly parents.

Even if a farmer himself is seriously ill, he will lie in bed groaning for a few days, then let out a long sigh and die, without any reluctance or unwillingness.

Honest Chinese people have been accustomed for thousands of years to letting minor illnesses fester, enduring major illnesses, and waiting to meet the King of Hell when they are critically ill.

If Lin Sanqi were to travel back to ancient times, he would have nothing to say, because in feudal society, if one could have enough to eat, avoid war, and live a peaceful life, one would be grateful.

But this was 1963, a time of peace, and the country had been established for 14 years.

If we continue to treat minor illnesses as we did in ancient times, letting minor illnesses fester and major illnesses endure, and waiting to meet the King of Hell when critically ill, then that is a dereliction of duty by our government.

Lin Sanqi was still young and a bit like a young angry man, feeling indignant on behalf of the farmers.

But when the image of the half-gray-haired old lady Li appeared in his mind, he couldn't bring himself to say anything accusatory.

It's not that Minister Li doesn't want to expand hospitals; it's just that we're poor. Even a skilled cook can't make a meal without rice.

Lin Sanqi then looked at Director Liu. Although Director Liu was not the head of the health department, he had been an official in the local area for many years and was familiar with the local ecology.

"Director Liu, Xi'an has been liberated for more than ten years, and the local government has never thought about making hospitals more accessible? As you can see, there isn't a single hospital in this entire township."

With Lin Sanqi backing him up, Village Chief Yang became bolder:
“It’s not just our Xinfeng Commune. There’s only one county hospital in our county, and it mainly treats workers. They get reimbursement, but we farmers don’t get that benefit.”

Lin Sanqi got angry as soon as she heard that:

"Oh dear, you're creating a rural-urban divide? Back when you were liberated, your slogan was 'equality for all, equal distribution of land and property.'"

Director Liu was speechless, looking at Lin Sanqi as if he were an idiot.

I thought to myself, "You son of a bitch, aren't you an official too? And an official with a higher rank than me. We're on the same side, so what's your stance?"

However, you can think about it in your heart, but you absolutely cannot say it out loud.

"Commissioner Lin, when it comes to healthcare, we have so much to say that we could talk about it for three days and three nights. Ultimately, it comes down to a lack of doctors, a lack of medicine, and a lack of funding for infrastructure development."

Despite the difficult conditions, five large hospitals were still built in Shaanxi Province, or in Xi'an.

These are Xijing Hospital and Tangdu Hospital, both affiliated with the military; Xi'an Medical College Affiliated Hospital; Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital; and Shaanxi Provincial Women and Children's Hospital.

These five hospitals combined are really killing us. There's no room for further development. We don't even have the money to build new buildings or buy equipment; we don't even have enough doctors and nurses.

In addition, we have built a new county-level hospital in each county, which can provide basic medical and health services, so there is no problem of people not having a place to see a doctor.

Director Liu's words sounded very righteous and noble, but Lin Sanqi knew that it would be difficult to know the actual situation just by listening to verbal reports.

"Well then, Director Liu, it's getting late, and we're about to head back to our guesthouse in the city. I'd like to visit the county hospital tomorrow. Let's not go anywhere far, just Lintong County Hospital."

Director Liu was momentarily speechless.

Lin Sanqi's identity is sensitive; every word he says and every trip he takes is heard directly by the higher-ups, who are watching his every move.

If Lin Sanqi were to suddenly visit a local county hospital, the higher-ups would definitely wonder what he was up to, and then they would come over themselves to see what was so special about this hospital.
There are no ghosts in the hospital, and it's impossible for any corruption or worship incidents to happen these days.

But the current hospital conditions are poor. Based on Director Liu's experience, if he were to actually inspect and investigate the county hospital, the local authorities would likely lose face. "Commissioner Lin, well, I need to report this to my superiors. Your schedule is quite tight, so how about I personally take you to visit some of the large hospitals in XA city tomorrow?"

Lin Sanqi chuckled and waved his hand:

"My schedule isn't tight. Director Shen is overseeing things in Bao'an County, so there won't be any problems."

Moreover, my visit to grassroots hospitals is not merely to satisfy my curiosity, but is related to how Bao'an County should proceed with its work in the future.

Director Liu still dared not agree, after all, he was the director of the Cultural Relics Bureau, not the director of the Health Bureau, and their expertise was not a good match.

"How about this, Commissioner Lin? I promise to convey your message to our superiors tonight. We'll follow whatever arrangements they make, okay?"

Lin Sanqi was displeased upon hearing this and said with a stern face:

"Director Liu, please convey this to your superiors. I am now requesting to conduct research at grassroots hospitals in the name of Junwei, the Vice Minister of Health. If you feel that Junwei has no jurisdiction over you, I can immediately have Minister Li of the Ministry of Health issue you a research order."

Seeing that Lin Sanqi was about to lose his temper, Director Liu quickly smiled and agreed:
"Don't worry, Commissioner Lin, I understand. I will make sure to arrange your schedule properly for tomorrow."

Director Liu got into his jeep and rushed to the city center to report the emergency.

Chief Qi then walked over, smiling, and asked:
“Vice Minister Lin, if you’re going to do an inspection, you need to be professionally competent. You’re in charge of our military hospitals, not local hospitals.”

Lin Sanqi's General Logistics Department of the Army is significantly different from the Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China, since one is a military department and the other is a civil affairs department.

But if Lin Sanqi insists on interfering, then he can. After all, there are plenty of cases where authority is unclear these days.

Is the military's health department no longer a health department? Are cadres transferred from the military no longer high-ranking central officials?
Lin Sanqi sighed and said:
"Old Qi, do you ever imagine a day when the pharmacies of Xijing Hospital and Tangdu Hospital, which belong to your unit, are filled with all kinds of medicines? Especially antibiotics, like penicillin, which you can have as much as you want?"

Upon hearing this, Chief Qi exclaimed with anticipation:
"I hope that day will ever come. I don't know if I'll live to see it."

"Old Qi, how old are you?"

"I'm 62 years old this year, and I'll be retiring in three years."

Lin Sanqi did some mental calculations and concluded that things in China only started to improve around 83. If there were to be a great abundance of material goods and a surplus of medicines, it would be around 2003.

That would take another 40 years.

62 + 40 = 102 years old.

Lin Sanqi clicked his tongue and spoke the truth:
"Old Qi, you probably won't live to see that day, but you're going to suffer a lot in a few years. I hope you can get through it."

Upon hearing this, Chief Qi burst into laughter:

"You little brat, I thought you would comfort me and tell me that I would definitely see the day of the revolution's victory, but instead you cursed me to suffer a lot in a few years? So be it, I'm upright and honest, I haven't done anything wrong, and I'm not afraid of ghosts knocking on my door in the middle of the night."

Lin Sanqi felt a pang of regret. The more upright you are, the less willing you are to bow your head, the more...

cough cough.

"Let's go, it's getting late. Tomorrow we'll go to Lintong County Hospital and check out the cave where the bald guy is hiding."

Thinking of this, Lin Sanqi couldn't help but want to court death:
"Hey, Lao Qi, tell me, is Inoue Onsen a hero of all time, or a villain of all time?"

Chief Qi is a straightforward person, and disregarding whether the topic was sensitive, he spoke frankly:
"For our party, he is an eternal hero, but for the Kuomintang, he is an eternal sinner. But I personally despise this spineless coward. He let the Japanese occupy the Northeast without firing a single shot. He is truly a tiger father and a dog son."

Lin Sanqi chuckled:
"Hey, Lao Qi, aren't you afraid I'll report you? In the Northeast, the spineless coward who doesn't fire a single shot is the Bald Guy, you know, that's what the books say."

Upon hearing this, Chief Qi burst into laughter again, clearly not wanting to say any more.
"Let's go back to the guesthouse." (End of Chapter)