A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

Zhou Yi's phone vibrated as he packed his bags.

He answered the call, and Nurbahati's sweaty face appeared on the screen.

Nuerbahati, panting, said in the background of the operating room corridor, "Dr. Zhou, just finished, did it independently. The patient's blood pressure is stable."

Zhou Yi put down the clothes he was holding: "Explain in detail."

"I did everything myself, from opening the chest to suturing."

Nuerbahati pulled off his mask. "I followed your instructions and did not go wrong at any step."

Four hours and seventeen minutes, half an hour faster than last time.

The next morning, the conference room at Shihezi Hospital was packed with people.

The dean pushed a document towards me.

"Dr. Zhou, we have decided to establish the Zhouyi Heart Technology Studio."

The dean handed over the pen, "And this too, we'll send two doctors to Liaoning for further training every year, on a three-year contract."

Zhou Yi didn't take the pen. "A studio is fine, but using my name is not."

"Why not?"

Vice President Wang, sitting opposite, spoke up, "Does Dr. Zhou think our place is too small?"

Zhou Yi glanced at him: "Vice Dean Wang, what I mean is that for technology to take root, it relies on the system, not on personal reputation."

"Who brought that technology?"

Vice President Wang raised his voice: "Using your name will make it much easier for us to apply for funding and equipment in the future. This is a good thing for the hospital!"

"Not for me."

Zhou Yi stood up and said, "I'm about to leave here."

The studio is using my name today, but what if I get reassigned next year?

What if I retire the year after next? My skills will have left me, and that connection will be broken.

The meeting room fell silent.

The hospital director tapped the table. "Dr. Zhou, what do you suggest we do?"

"The studio is called the Cardiac Surgery Technology Inheritance Studio."

Zhou Yi sat down again, saying, "The key is in the word 'inheritance'."

The contract stipulates that two training slots will be allocated annually to the most promising young people, without regard to seniority.

Vice Dean Wang sneered: "Most promising? How do you determine that? An exam? A vote? Or do you appoint someone?"

"Watch the surgery video."

Zhou Yi took out a hard drive from his bag. "I've performed 28 surgeries in the past three months, and I've recorded them all."

Director Nurbahati was also in there last night.

Whoever can complete the standard procedures independently should go.

He pushed the hard drive over: "And this, the user manual I rewrote."

From preoperative preparation to postoperative care, every step was photographed and marked with important notes.

Vice Dean Wang flipped through the manual without saying a word.

The hospital director picked up a pen and changed a few lines on the contract: "Do as Dr. Zhou said."

The studio name has been changed, and for trainees... a new requirement has been added: they must be able to independently perform a standard surgical procedure and pass an assessment.

Zhou Yi then took the pen and signed his name.

The day before he left, he installed and debugged the equipment in the studio.

Nurbahati followed behind him without saying a word.

"Speak your mind."

Zhou Yi didn't even turn his head.

"Dr. Zhou, I'm scared," Nurbahati managed to say.

"What are you afraid of?"

"Once you leave, Vice President Wang and the others will definitely have something to say."

They say I relied on connections, and that you're biased.

I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on.

Zhou Yi turned around and plugged in the last wire: "When I was the first person to perform surgery independently, I vomited for half an hour after I got off the operating table."

The old director told me, "Once you've mastered the skills, you also need to stand tall and have backbone."

"Director Nu, you were able to complete that surgery independently because of your own skill, not because of me. Understand?"

Nurbahati nodded emphatically.

A video conference on Saturday night.

Zhou Hongmei said, "We've been working on this coronary heart disease project for three years, and we've had 322 patients."

Zhou Yi and I will be transferred back to Liaoning at the end of the year.

If we leave and this project falls through, all our previous efforts will have been for nothing.

In the video footage, Ayiguli and Nurbahati are sitting in a conference room at Xinjiang Hospital.

Nurbahati rubbed his face: "Teacher Zhou, we will definitely continue..."

"Words are useless."

Zhou Yi interrupted him, "The newly transferred Vice President Wang of the hospital, who comes from a surgical background, has always looked down on the integration of traditional Chinese and Western medicine."

"Once we leave, he can stop this project with just a word."

Aygul leaned forward: "Teacher Zhou, what should we do?"

"Sign the agreement."

Zhou Hongmei pulled out two documents from the folder and held them up in front of the camera. "Research Relay Agreement."

It's clearly written in black and white: you continue this project in Xinjiang, and we'll provide remote support from Liaoning.

Nurbahati didn't understand. "An agreement? Do we need that between us?"

"It's so necessary."

Zhou Yi continued, "Without this, you wouldn't be able to withstand the pressure."

"If Vice Dean Wang cuts funding or pulls staff, what will you use to cover for him?"

"But he won't block me once the agreement is signed?"

Nurbahati raised his voice a little.

"It won't freeze."

Zhou Hongmei turned to the second page of the agreement. "This is a cross-provincial collaborative project, stamped with the seals of the health commissions of Liaoning and Xinjiang."

He needs to get approval from above before he can stop.

Aygul held out her hand: "I'll sign."

"etc."

Nuerbahati held her down, "Teacher Zhou, Dr. Zhou Yi, it's not that I don't want to sign."

But I need to clarify exactly what we'll be doing after we sign it.

"First, establish a scientific research sharing platform between Liaoning and Xinjiang."

Zhou Hongmei brought up screen sharing to display the operation interface: "All patient data, treatment plans, and follow-up results are uploaded weekly."

We're watching simultaneously in Liaoning; we'll communicate immediately if there are any issues.

"Second, every Saturday night at 9 pm, there is a video conference, without fail."

Report progress and resolve issues.

"Every week? I often have surgeries scheduled on Saturdays, and Aygul's clinic is also full of patients..."

"Then let's adjust it!"

Zhou Hongmei suddenly said, "We've been following these three hundred patients for so long, are they waiting for you to adjust their schedules?"

The conference room was deathly silent.

Aygul tugged at Nurbahati's white coat and said to the camera, "Teacher Zhou, let's do it."

Go online every Saturday at 9 PM sharp.

Zhou Yi opened another document, "There's also a thesis."

Once the data is available, I will provide remote guidance on how to write the code.

Your names will be signed first, ours second.

Nurbahati suddenly looked up: "This won't do! You initiated this project, and the main ideas are yours too..."

"Why do we need to sign our names?"

Zhou Hongmei interrupted directly, "The authors of the paper wrote about doctors in Xinjiang, so that this treatment method can be promoted in Xinjiang!"

What's the point of writing our names besides looking nice?

Aygul picked up the pen: "I'll sign."

Nurbahati stared at the agreement, remained silent for a few seconds, and then signed it.

"it is good."

Zhou Hongmei put the documents away. "The first thing is to send over the data for the last three months tonight."

We've found several patients with abnormal indicators; we need to verify them immediately.

At 11:30 p.m., the data transmission was finally completed.

Just as Aygul was about to shut down her computer, a message from Zhou Hongmei popped up: "Patient No. 147's liver function data is abnormal; a follow-up examination is necessary tomorrow. We can't delay."

Aygul replied immediately: "Received, will handle it first thing tomorrow morning."