Chapter 99: Weishan Island (Thanks to Quanli Sister)

The Quality Control Group 2 of Changxing Hospital was heading to the Weishan Island branch for an inspection. They first had to take a bus to the Weishan County ferry terminal, and from there, take a boat to Weishan Island. Of course, there was a closer route, which was to take a boat from Guquan Town, but the ferry schedules there were too infrequent, so they decided to depart from the county terminal.

In addition to the group leader Yan Huiyi and assistant Xu Chunliang, a new member was added this time: the head nurse of the Neurology Department, Tang Mingmei. This trip to the Changxing branch had a gilding nature for her, as after the quality control inspection, the original head of the nursing department would retire, and Tang Mingmei would take over the position.

Having this senior beauty along, Deputy Director Yan Huiyi felt that the trip would not be so dull. The saying that "men and women working together makes the job less tiring" was indeed true.

Weishan Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Dongzhou, with a water area of 660 square kilometers. The lake is long and narrow, stretching 120 kilometers from north to south and 30 kilometers at its widest point from east to west. About two-thirds of the lake is under the jurisdiction of Dongzhou, while the remaining one-third belongs to Jizhou City in Lunan Province.

Weishan Island is the largest island in the lake, with a land area of 30 square kilometers and a total population of 90,000, of which the current permanent residents are less than 40,000.

Taking over the Weishan Island Hospital was a significant achievement during Gu Houyi's term. Choosing such an island hospital was not for economic benefits but for poverty alleviation. The Weishan Island Hospital, despite being known as the Second People's Hospital of Weishan County, was actually at the level of a township hospital, and its overall strength did not even rank in the top five in Weishan County.

The Weishan County administrative region belongs to Dongzhou, which is just a county-level city. There were too many hospitals, leading to a dispersion of resources. The Weishan Island Hospital, located in a remote area and lacking distinctive departments, lacked a strong medical team. The patients it treated were limited to the island, so it had been in a state of financial loss for a long time.

When Changxing first acquired the Weishan Island Hospital, it sent many business backbone staff, but they soon returned. The existing staff of the Weishan Island branch were difficult to get along with, and they often set traps for the new arrivals. They wanted support, not a complete takeover.

Gu Houyi's plan to transform the Weishan Island Hospital within three years also failed in reality. However, the Dongzhou municipal government, in conjunction with the Jizhou municipal government, included the development of Weishan Lake tourism and the creation of a top-notch domestic resort in their five-year plan this year.

Due to this plan, the development of Weishan Island has returned to people's attention. However, since the plan was proposed half a year ago, there has been no substantial action, and most people believe that this might be another case of much thunder and little rain.

If Weishan Island could indeed be developed into a top-notch domestic resort, the increase in tourists would lead to an upgrade in the corresponding facilities, and the hospital, as an indispensable part, would also benefit.

Gu Houyi personally visited the Weishan Island branch at the beginning of the year and expressed great dissatisfaction with the current situation. Just as he was planning to rectify the branch, he received a transfer order and left Changxing.

After Zhao Feiyang took office, he had not yet visited the Weishan Island branch. At a hospital meeting, he publicly criticized some leaders for being overly ambitious, expanding business without thorough investigation, and setting up branch hospitals for the sake of achievements.

Although Zhao Feiyang did not name anyone, everyone knew he was referring to Gu Houyi. The Weishan Island branch had been incurring losses for years and had been a drag on Changxing.

Changxing Hospital's dedicated vehicle transported the quality control group from Dongzhou to Weishan County, but the trip to Weishan Island could only be made using public transportation, and the ferry was their only option.

The hygiene conditions on the county ferry were concerning. Tang Mingmei, who had a bit of a cleanliness obsession, repeatedly wiped the ferry seats. Even if she could clean the seats, she could not eliminate the odor in the cabin.

Most of the people on the ferry were local residents, and the air was filled with the smell of sweat and fish. Many people ignored the no-smoking signs and smoked cheap cigarettes, while others used the free hot water to make instant noodles.

The noise of the engine, loud chatter, children's screams, and the sounds of chickens and ducks created a chaotic symphony.

Tang Mingmei wore sunglasses and a mask, fully wrapped up, but the odors and noise still penetrated her. She pressed her face against the window, but even outside, there were people, and a puff of smoke from the window gap blew onto her face, almost causing her to suffocate.

Xu Chunliang sat on the aisle side, separated from Tang Mingmei by Deputy Director Yan Huiyi. Today, Yan Huiyi was particularly cheerful, talking non-stop from the moment they boarded the ferry, with clear logic and fluent speech, rarely stuttering.

Tang Mingmei had no interest in his topics. If it weren't for the gilding before taking over the nursing department, she would not have come to this remote island.

Xu Chunliang handed them each a bottle of water. Tang Mingmei said thank you, but the noise had drained her energy, and she didn't even have the strength to unscrew the cap.

Xu Chunliang noticed this and unscrewed another bottle for her, reaching across Yan Huiyi each time.

Tang Mingmei took a sip of water and suddenly screamed, standing up and discovering a cockroach crawling on the back of the seat in front of her.

Yan Huiyi was startled and, upon finding the cause, blamed Tang Mingmei for overreacting. In such an environment, it was not unusual to see cockroaches. On the island, snakes, insects, and rats could all appear. He wondered why, at her age, she was still so delicate.

Tang Mingmei was not being delicate; she was just afraid of bugs. After seeing the cockroach, she could no longer sit still and said she needed to go outside for some fresh air.

Yan Huiyi asked Xu Chunliang to accompany her, saying that women should be taken care of when traveling, especially someone like Tang Mingmei.

The sky was clear and blue, monotonous and lifeless. The lake water was a dull yellow-green, and Tang Mingmei opened her UV-protective umbrella, looking at the distant Weishan Island, which resembled a green snail in the middle of the lake. She sighed, "There's really nothing to see here."

Xu Chunliang, shielding his eyes from the sun, asked, "Why did our hospital choose such a remote place to set up a branch?"

Tang Mingmei told Xu Chunliang that it was a government initiative. The health system had assigned major hospitals to support various counties, and Changxing ended up supporting the Weishan Island Hospital. Over time, it became part of their own. As for why they decided to acquire Weishan Island and set up a branch, that was a question for the former director, Gu Houyi.

Tang Mingmei had been to the Weishan Island branch before, but she always returned the same day and never stayed overnight.

This time, the quality control inspection was scheduled for three weeks, the longest she had ever stayed. Thinking about spending the next twenty days on the island, Tang Mingmei felt a bit worried, hoping that there would be no power or water outages, as she found it unbearable to go a day without a shower.

Xu Chunliang laughed when she mentioned her concern about water outages, wondering how an island surrounded by water could possibly run out of water.

Tang Mingmei clarified that she meant tap water. She had heard that there were five power outages and two water outages in the past three days. The infrastructure on Weishan Island was outdated, with many facilities dating back to the 1970s. She advised Xu Chunliang not to have high hopes for the trip and to be prepared for a tough time.

As they chatted, they got closer to Weishan Island. A beautiful yacht sailed by, startling many water birds and attracting attention. While there were many fishing boats on Weishan Lake, such a beautiful yacht was rare. It looked new, probably recently purchased.

Tang Mingmei envied the people on the yacht, wishing they were on it.

Xu Chunliang noticed the words "Xianhong" on the yacht's exterior, reminding him that before the trip, Gao Xinhu had recommended an old comrade, Tong Guangsheng, who was the owner of Xianhong Farm. From the yacht, it seemed that Xianhong Farm was quite large.

The ferry docked at the Weishan Island terminal. Xu Chunliang helped Tang Mingmei with her luggage. Both he and Yan Huiyi had 20-inch suitcases, but Tang Mingmei had two 28-inch suitcases, which seemed excessive for a quality control inspection, almost like she was going on an international trip.

A van was waiting for them at the terminal, which usually served as both a service vehicle and an ambulance, and occasionally as a hearse. Although medical professionals were not superstitious, Yan Huiyi still felt uncomfortable. The branch clearly had a Santana 2000, which, although old, was still a sedan. As a deputy director of Changxing, he felt that he deserved a Santana.

In addition to the driver, Old Lu, the branch director, Jin Yonghao, also came to greet them. He was a management staff member sent by Changxing and was jokingly referred to as a "supervisor" by the Weishan Island Hospital staff, who believed he was there to monitor their work and report to Changxing leadership.

The investment in the Weishan Island branch was more political than economic. In fact, this investment had not brought any economic benefits to Changxing and had only increased additional expenses. According to the agreement with the Weishan County government, they were responsible for the salaries and benefits of over 200 employees at the Weishan Island branch.

Changxing had also considered the potential difficulties after taking over and had entrusted the management of the branch's pharmacy to Heng'an Pharmaceutical Company. In just two years, the branch had accumulated a drug payment debt of 2.1 million yuan.

Changxing believed that the current situation at the Weishan Island branch was due to the lack of cooperation from the branch staff, while the branch staff believed that Changxing had deceived them with a symbolic investment and that they did not enjoy the same benefits as the main hospital staff.

Since last year, the branch staff's hostility towards Changxing had increased. They had submitted several joint petitions to the county government, attempting to terminate the cooperation with Changxing, but all were rejected. The county leadership understood the situation clearly: due to the unique geographical and demographic conditions, the hospital could not be profitable. If Changxing did not take over, no one else would, and restoring the original status would only increase the county's fiscal burden.

Most people at Changxing wanted to get rid of this burden and would be happy to do so if the Weishan County government agreed.

Thank you, Quanli Sister, for your support and companionship along the way!