A doctor who travels through two eras

The next day, Lin Sanqi appeared at the Hong Kong Department of Health.

When Health Commissioner Elliott saw Lin Sanqi enter his office, he stood up warmly and gave him an even more enthusiastic hug.
"Lin, my dear friend, it's been a long time."

Lin Sanqi took out an exquisite wooden box and said:

“Director, these are some top-quality Cuban cigars I recently acquired. Of course, I should share good things with my friends, so that’s why I’ve come to visit.”

"Hehe, come, come, sit here."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the conversation finally got down to business after the secretary brought in coffee.

"Director, the reason I'm here is that I have a small favor to ask for your help with."

Director Elliott was very pleased. He wasn't afraid of Lin Sanqi causing him trouble, because any trouble had a price tag.

"Lin, we are friends. You're being too polite. Just tell me. As long as it's within my power, I'll do it without hesitation."

"Director, it's like this, I'm thinking of acquiring a medium or large hospital. I wonder if you have any suggestions or assistance?"

"Acquire a hospital? Tell me your specific requirements."

Director Elliott sat up straight, his mind beginning to conjure up images of hospitals across Hong Kong.

Upon hearing that the other party had not refused, Lin Sanqi knew that there was hope for the matter, so he said:

“I don’t have many requirements, but I know that almost all the hospitals on Hong Kong Island are British-owned, so acquiring them will be quite difficult.”

Furthermore, Hong Kong Island is your British-owned territory, so how easy is it for us, a Chinese-owned company, to open a hospital?

Therefore, my target is a hospital in Kowloon, the larger the better, or at least with space reserved for future expansion. As for the price, Mr. Director, rest assured, I won't shortchange my old friend.

Director Elliott was even happier to receive Lin Sanqi's promise.

"Hospitals in the Kowloon area, let me think."

Kowloon currently has 14 hospitals: Queen Elizabeth Hospital, St. Mary's Hospital, Ormond Hospital, Prince Charles Hospital, United Christian Hospital, Ko Shan Road Hospital, Euder Tassot Hospital, Kwong Wah Hospital, Rutton Hospital, and Kent Children's Hospital.

Kwong Wah Hospital and Ko San Road Hospital are public hospitals and cannot be sold. Of the remaining private hospitals, those with powerful backgrounds are also unlikely to be sold.

But if you're talking about poor management and management wanting to sell, that's not unheard of. Let me think about it...

By the way, we should be able to acquire Ormond Hospital. It used to be a private hospital under the Bel Ormond Group, but due to investment mistakes by the headquarters, they are scaling back their overseas operations.

Although they haven't publicly announced the sale of the hospital, as far as I know, its business is very poor and it's not profitable. If I act as a middleman, they'll most likely sell it.

Lin Sanqi felt dizzy after hearing so many foreigners' names.

"Director, where exactly is this Ormond Hospital located? Please forgive me for not being familiar with hospitals in Hong Kong. After all, my family runs our own clinic, so we don't usually need to go to the hospital."

Director Elliott pulled out a city map, pointed to a spot in the heart of Kowloon, and said:
"Here, Ormond Hospital is built on the south side of Kingsbury Hill, where there is an astronomical observatory, covering an area of ​​7 hectares. The main hospital building has 12 floors, which should meet your needs."

As soon as Lin Sanqi heard the name "astronomical and meteorological observatory," he knew exactly where it was.

After all, King's Park is not far from Temple Street; it's only a ten-minute walk away.

"I understand, but isn't this place a bit remote?"

In the 1960s, Kowloon in Hong Kong was not very prosperous and was more like a suburban area, so you can imagine how remote the hospital at the foot of the mountain was.

It's just like Pudong in the 1980s and 90s.

Director Elliott said indifferently:

"It's precisely because it's remote that it has such a large area. If it were on Hong Kong Island across the strait, such a large area would only be possible with special approval from the Governor. Look at me, even though I'm a Director, my office is only 20 square meters."

Actually, what the foreigners were thinking was that because it was such a remote place, there were few patients, and because there were few patients, they were losing money.

Lin Sanqi thought about it and realized it made sense. How could he possibly want... both... and...?

“Okay, Director, I’d like to go and take a look at the site. If possible, I’d like to complete the transaction as soon as possible.” This wasn’t the first time Lin Sanqi had bought a hospital; he was experienced and preferred to act swiftly and decisively.

Director Elliott knew he was about to receive another substantial commission, so he stood up and said:
"Lin, let's go, let's cross the sea to Kowloon now."

The first cross-harbour tunnel in Hong Kong was not completed until 1972. At that time, the only way to travel between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon was by ferry, which is the Star Ferry often seen in Hong Kong movies.

However, foreign bureau chiefs naturally have special privileges when traveling. There is an official dock where they can transfer, and they can drive their cars directly down, which is very convenient.

When Lin Sanqi and Director Elliott arrived, Wang Jin, the head of the Fengtang Hall, was already waiting with his men.

He was specifically called over by Lin Sanqi to assess future security issues and potential defensive fortifications.

As soon as Director Elliott got out of the car, the director of Ormond Hospital and several hospital executives were already waiting for him.

Lin Sanqi also got off the car, and when he saw the hospital building in front of him, he couldn't help but open his mouth wide.

Although the hospital is only 12 stories high, it is very wide from east to west, at least 230 meters wide, so the main building looks very spectacular.

With the addition of the two adjacent annex buildings, owning such a large hospital in Hong Kong is indeed something only established conglomerates can achieve.

At this moment, Lin Sanqi's eyes were filled with greed.

Director Elliott led Lin Sanqi to the welcoming crowd:

"Lin, this is Dean Eric, who is also an old friend of mine. We came to this Pearl of the Orient together from the distant country of the Eagle."

After saying that, Director Elliott lowered his voice and reminded him:

"If you're willing to become friends with Dean Eric, I'm sure he'll help you complete this deal."

Lin Sanqi was stunned, thinking, "Are all foreigners so blatant about accepting bribes? What happened to the supposedly clean officials and professional executives of developed Western countries?"

Dean Eric had already spoken with Director Elliott by phone, and the two had discussed the matter privately.

Director Elliott told him that this Chinese man was a complete idiot, a fat sheep, and very generous, so as long as he helped him complete the transaction, he would definitely make a fortune.

So now, when Dean Eric saw Lin Sanqi, it was like looking at a money-bringing angel adorned with pounds, and he smiled and reached out his hand:
"Lin, welcome to visit our Ormond Hospital. If possible, I would love for you to become the new master here in the future."

Looking at the smiling foreign hospital director and three or four foreign hospital executives, Lin Sanqi couldn't help but sigh:

Professional managers really have no loyalty to speak of.

This is similar to the civil service group at the end of the Ming Dynasty. When the court fell, so be it; when the emperor died, so be it. They were just employees anyway. What difference did it make who they worked for? They could become high-ranking officials under a different emperor.

With such a group of hospital executives in charge, it would be strange if Ormond Hospital didn't go bankrupt.

But so what? This is exactly the kind of inside man Lin Sanqi needs right now, so he politely replied:
"Dean Eric, we're all friends, and friends are naturally generous and open with each other. But business comes later. You need to give me a brief introduction to the Ormond Hospital now."

As they walked towards the hospital lobby, they said:
"Lin, as you can see, the situation at the hospital is not optimistic. The initial location of this hospital was a mistake, and coupled with the financial crisis of our parent company, we have not updated our equipment for two consecutive years."

The staff, including myself as the hospital director, haven't received their salaries for six months. As a result, morale is low and many doctors and nurses are resigning, creating a vicious cycle.

But Lin, don't worry, our Ormond Hospital has top-notch facilities. And as you can see, our hospital is only 10 years old, so it's still relatively new. Once you acquire the hospital, you can put it into use immediately.

However, there's one thing I need to clarify: the land we're on can only be used for medical purposes; commercial development isn't allowed. So, Lin, if you want to do real estate development, this isn't an option.”

Ormond Hospital was built entirely according to European hospital standards. It was not only considered advanced in the 1960s, but even Lin Sanqi would not consider it backward from the perspective of decades later.

Lin Sanqi was very satisfied with the hardware.

The location isn't great, but traditional Chinese medicine relies on word-of-mouth, and Lingnan Hall Clinic has the confidence to do so. Furthermore, with its plans to fully promote antibiotics at the new hospital, it's believed that patient resources will be plentiful.

It doesn't need to be a great location.

After spending an hour touring the hospital, looking around thoroughly, the group went to the hospital director's office for initial negotiations. (End of Chapter)