A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

He was most likely still in his office handling official business at this hour. Sure enough, as soon as I knocked on the door, I heard Dean Zhang's voice from inside: "Come in."

Zhou Yi pushed open the door and walked in. Zhang Jianguo was sitting behind his desk reading documents. Seeing him come in, he looked up and said, "Zhou Yi? Is something wrong so late?"

"Dean Zhang, I've come to ask you for help."

Zhou Yi walked to the desk and handed over Aimerdan's test results, medical records, and surgical plan. His tone was urgent and sincere. "Patient Aimerdan has mitral valve prolapse. His myocardial enzymes are three times the normal level, and his ejection fraction is 35. He has already been resuscitated once tonight. He can only hold on for two more days at most."

I wanted to perform a right-sided small-incision mitral valvuloplasty on him. I've done hundreds of these surgeries in Dalian with a success rate of over 98%. It's minimally invasive, has a quick recovery, and is cost-effective. But now I'm facing a problem.

He recounted the whole story in detail, from Director Nurbahati's opposition to the family's concerns and eventual agreement, and then to Nurse Reziwan's refusal to cooperate with the surgical team's rehearsal. He explained everything clearly from beginning to end.

"Dr. Zhang, I'm absolutely confident about this surgery. The team in Dalian has also said they'll provide remote guidance throughout, so there won't be any problems. The patient can't afford to wait any longer; if we wait any longer, it will be too late even if they want to have traditional surgery!"

"If the surgery is delayed due to team coordination issues, and I watch helplessly as the patient suffers, I will have regrets for the rest of my life!"

Zhang Jianguo picked up the test results and medical records and looked at them carefully. He remained silent for a full two minutes before slowly speaking: "Zhou Yi, I know you sincerely want to do things for the patients, and I believe in your medical skills, otherwise you wouldn't have been sent to Xinjiang to provide assistance."

But Nurbahati's concerns were not unfounded. "Our hospital has a good reputation within the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. If something goes wrong during the surgery and the patient's family causes a scene, the hospital's reputation will be ruined. Then, when we apply for funding or import equipment in the future, the higher authorities will have reservations."

He paused, looked at Zhou Yi's eyes filled with anxiety and pleading, and said with some determination, "On the other hand, our primary responsibility as doctors is to save lives and heal the wounded."

"In Amaldan's case, delaying treatment will only lead to his death. Your surgical plan is currently the best option. We cannot let him die just because we are afraid of the risks."

"In that case, the surgery can be attempted. But you must explain all the risks to the family clearly, list them out one by one, and have them sign a waiver of liability. There can be no concealment."

In addition, regarding the coordination of the surgical team, you should now connect with the medical team in Dalian and provide guidance to Reziwan and her team overnight, whether through video conferences or online training, to ensure that they are familiar with all procedures before the surgery.

Any problems that arise will be borne by the hospital; the frontline medical staff will not be held responsible.

"Thank you, Dean Zhang. I promise I will do a good job with the surgery and will not cause any trouble for the hospital!"

"Go quickly, the patient's time is precious."

Zhang Jianguo waved his hand.

Zhou Yi thanked him repeatedly, turned around and quickly walked out of the dean's office. He immediately took out his phone and sent a message to the team in Dalian to arrange overnight training.

But as soon as he stepped out of the administration building, he heard that Nurbahati already knew about the dean's decision and was heading angrily to the dean's office.

Sure enough, less than half an hour later, someone brought news that Nurbahati had slammed his fist on the table in the dean's office.

Zhou Yi knew without a doubt that Nurbahati must be furious.

When he burst into the dean's office, his voice was so loud that the entire floor could hear him: "Dean Zhang, how could you agree to let Zhou Yi perform this surgery? How long has he been here?"

They've been here for less than a month, and they have no idea about the actual situation here. If the surgery is successful, that's fine, but if it fails and the patient's family makes a scene, the hospital's reputation will be completely ruined.

"What will the higher authorities think of us when we apply for funding and import equipment? The risk is too great; we can't afford it!"

Zhang Jianguo put down the documents in his hand, his face expressionless, and said calmly, "I know you are thinking of the hospital, and I understand your intentions."

But as doctors, our first priority is the patient's well-being. You know Amardan's condition; he was already resuscitated once tonight. He has at most two more days to live; any longer and he'll die. Zhou Yi's surgical plan is currently the only way to save him.

"But that was his experience in Dalian!"

Nuerbahati retorted indignantly, "Dalian has such advanced equipment and a so professional team! Can we compare to Dalian here? Our equipment is outdated, and our nursing team isn't familiar with the procedures. What if something goes wrong during the surgery? Who will be responsible?"

"It's precisely because there's a gap that we need to introduce new technologies and cultivate new teams!"

Dean Zhang's tone became serious. "We can't be complacent and stick to old methods just because we're afraid of risks. How can the hospital develop? How can patients benefit?"

Zhou Yi is an expert sent to Xinjiang, bringing with him mature techniques. We must cherish this opportunity; it can both save patients and improve our own skills—a win-win situation.

Nurbahati wanted to argue further: "But the risk is just too great, what if..."

"There's no 'what if'."

Dean Zhang interrupted him: "I have already spoken with Zhou Yi. All the risks have been explained to the family, and a waiver has been signed. If any problems arise during the surgery, the hospital will bear the main responsibility."

As the head of cardiac surgery, your job is to cooperate closely with Zhou Yi to ensure the success of the surgery.

Having said all that, Nurbahati knew there was no point in arguing any further.

He was seething with anger, both angry that the hospital director trusted Zhou Yi so easily and angry that Zhou Yi insisted on putting on a show regardless of the hospital's actual situation. He was convinced that Zhou Yi just wanted to show off with this surgery and didn't respect him, the department head, at all.

As he walked out of the dean's office, Nurbahati grew angrier and angrier, his eyes filled with hostility as he looked toward Zhou Yi's office.

As soon as Zhou Yi left the dean's office, he didn't dare to delay for a moment and immediately sent a video invitation to the surgical team in Dalian.

When the call connected, my old partner, Director Li, was already waiting in the office with his team of nurses. Without saying a word, we started the simultaneous surgical procedure.

"I've sent you the equipment list. When making the small incision on the right side, be careful to avoid the blood vessels along the anterior axillary line. The nurse needs to hand over the instruments half a beat faster than in traditional surgery."

Director Li's voice came through the screen: "I'll send you the operation video of the key steps again so that the nurses in Xinjiang can watch it overnight. They can call me anytime if they have any questions."

Zhou Yi agreed while forwarding the video to Head Nurse Reziwan with the message: "The patient's condition is critical. Surgery is scheduled for 8 a.m. tomorrow. The nurses must thoroughly understand the procedures tonight. Contact me anytime if there are any problems. I'm on standby all night."