Sent to the countryside, I turned the health center into a top-tier hospital.

Chen Ping picked up his phone and glanced at it. It was a message from Wang Jianye: "I'm downstairs, just come down."

It was only then that Chen Ping noticed that it was already past six o'clock.

I've been lying here for two hours without realizing it, and I've been thinking about random things for two hours.

Chen Ping got up, put on his coat, and went downstairs. A black sedan was parked at the entrance of the building. Wang Jianye was sitting in the driver's seat, and he rolled down the window and waved to him.

Chen Ping opened the passenger door and got in. The car started and drove out of the sanatorium, merging into the evening rush hour traffic.

After driving for about twenty minutes, we turned into a quiet alley.

It wasn't wide, and the walls on both sides were very high, with half-withered vines climbing on them, and the streetlights cast a dim light.

At the end of the alley was a black iron gate, with no sign or markings.

Wang Jianye honked the horn, and the iron gate opened from the inside. The car drove in and parked in front of a small Chinese-style building.

The small building is not tall, only two stories, with white walls and gray tiles. A paper lantern hangs at the entrance, its orange light illuminating the stone path in front of the door with a warm glow.

Wang Jianye led Chen Ping inside, where a hidden world awaited them.

The small hall was furnished with several dark solid wood tables and chairs, covered with plain tablecloths and set with blue and white porcelain teaware.

There were several private rooms nearby, all with their doors closed, but warm yellow light emanated from them.

The air was filled with a faint aroma of tea and wood, making it feel less like a restaurant and more like a private tea room that was not open to the public.

Wang Jianye pushed open the door to the innermost private room, where several people were already seated.

Chen Ping glanced around and saw that they were all quite old, some wearing dark jackets and others wearing white shirts, sitting around a round table with steaming teacups in front of them.

When Wang Jianye arrived, everyone stood up to show their respect.

After all, Wang Jianye holds an important position in the National Health Commission, and these hospital directors and other department heads are all under his jurisdiction.

Wang Jianye then introduced Chen Ping to each person: "This is Director Liu from the Provincial People's Hospital, this is Director Zhao from the Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, this is Director Sun from the Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital, this is Old Wu from the Medical Administration Department of the Provincial Health Commission, and this is..."

After introducing them one by one, he pointed to Chen Ping at the end, "This is Dr. Chen Ping from Siping Township Health Center. He was the one who discovered the misdiagnosed case at the Military Region General Hospital this noon."

The eyes of several deans and directors all fell on Chen Ping, their gazes filled with curiosity and scrutiny.

The director of the Provincial People's Hospital was the first to extend his hand and shake hands with Chen Ping. His palm was thick and dry. "Siping Township? That place is not close. Dr. Chen is quite remarkable to be able to diagnose the problem from a consultation at the Military General Hospital."

President Zhao of the Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine nodded in agreement, glanced at Chen Ping a few times, and said nothing more.

The dishes were served one after another. There weren't many, but each one was exquisite. On the central rotating plate were steamed fish, lobster, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a pot of steaming tea.

Wang Jianye invited everyone to start eating, picked up a piece of fish and put it in his bowl. After putting down his chopsticks, he looked at Chen Ping and said, "Dr. Chen, as you saw today, the provincial hospitals don't lack equipment or money, what they lack are people who can solidify the basics."

"You've worked at the grassroots level for a long time, so tell me, what exactly do grassroots health centers lack? It's better for those higher up to sit in their offices and think about it ten times than for you to do it once on the front lines."

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Ping said, "We lack manpower, medicine, and equipment. But what we lack most is not these things, but the trust that patients have in the health center."

"Many people would rather travel over mountains and valleys to the county or city than see a doctor at a township health center because they don't trust you and think you can't handle it. What the health center needs to save is not equipment, but the trust that the people have in you."

After he finished speaking, the private room was silent for a few seconds.

Director Sun of the Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital held a cup of tea but didn't drink it. She looked at Director Liu, who was also looking at Chen Ping.

Wang Jianye put down his chopsticks and nodded slightly. "This is the first time I've heard this. Please continue."

Chen Ping thought for a moment and then added, "Hardware can be provided through funding, and medicine and equipment can be allocated, but trust is something that is built up little by little, and it has to be earned by doctors treating each patient one by one."

"If the province really wants to help the grassroots, it's not enough to just send equipment and money. They need to send people, technology, and training so that doctors at the grassroots level can truly access and treat patients."

"Then we will have doctors and directors from major hospitals in the province regularly go to township health centers to oversee operations. This will not only help them hone their basic skills but also build trust with the rural residents."

"With doctors and experts from the province coming to the health center to treat patients, people will no longer have to travel to the county or city."

"Many ordinary people don't need to go to the county or city hospitals for their illnesses. It's just that they don't trust the local health centers and are afraid of delaying their treatment, so they choose to spend more money to go to big hospitals."

After Chen Ping finished speaking, Wang Jianye nodded repeatedly.

Director Liu of the Provincial People's Hospital immediately agreed, saying, "Dr. Chen is right. Many patients with minor illnesses like fever and colds come to our hospital by car, but they don't really need to. They can be treated at the local township health centers."

"Dr. Chen, is there anything else?" Wang Jianye took out his phone and began to record what Chen Ping was saying.

"There are also some public facilities. I raised money myself to build a children's mental health center at the health center, which should be ready for use in the second half of the year. However, the funds are still not enough, and we will need manpower to operate it."

"Mental illnesses among teenagers are on the rise, and the suicide rate is increasing year by year, so these mental health centers are very necessary."

"Especially for some rural children in townships, whose parents are away from home all year round, if they have psychological problems, there is no way to provide timely guidance and communication, which can easily lead to tragedy."

Chen Ping said with a solemn expression.

After Chen Ping finished speaking, everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"Dr. Chen, you just said you're raising the money yourself? You're going to pay for it yourself?" Wang Jianye asked, somewhat incredulous.

Chen Ping nodded: "Yes, we raised two million. That's enough to build the building, but it's just a drop in the bucket when it comes to the hardware and staff."

The deans in the private room exchanged glances, then looked at Chen Ping with admiration in their eyes.

"Everyone, you've all heard what Dr. Chen said. Now, let's say something!"

Wang Jianye glanced at everyone and said.

Upon hearing this, Dean Liu immediately stood up and said, "Director Wang, I'd like to make a statement. The Provincial People's Hospital can provide counterpart assistance to the Siping Township Health Center."

"Let's start with the Siping Township Health Center as a pilot program. If it works well, we can promote it throughout the province. We'll arrange equipment, medicines, and staff training in batches."

"Our hospital will contribute five million yuan of the first batch of funds to upgrade both the hardware and software of the health center."