I Can Hear the Heart's Voice of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Chapter 463 - 193: Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital Project Approved—Am I the Director? (Part 2)

Lu Xuan confidently assured, "The efficacy of the prescription is absolutely no problem."

"Then it’s settled?"

Ji Qinglan said, "Since everything is sorted out, I should arrange for the procurement of raw materials."

"Regarding raw materials, you must use high-quality ones. Nowadays, the effects of Chinese herbal medicines vary. The same dosage of herbs can have vastly different effects depending on quality."

Lu Xuan continued, "Why do many prescriptions fail to cure diseases these days? Although a part of it is due to the doctor’s skills, the quality of the herbs is also an important factor."

"Don’t worry about that. For things used on the face, I will naturally choose good herbs. I’ll buy a batch first, and you can help me review them."

Lu Xuan nodded in agreement.

The quality of herbal medicine isn’t judged just by appearance.

Good looks don’t necessarily mean good efficacy.

The two stayed in the café for an hour before Ji Qinglan hurried back to prepare for the procurement of the herbs, while Lu Xuan went home.

Ji Xiuwen wasn’t around. Unlike Lu Xuan, he wasn’t that free — he still had to work on Wednesday. However, nothing much happened at the health center since Lu Xuan wasn’t seeing patients today, so no one was going to register for a Traditional Chinese Medicine appointment.

...

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

Early Monday morning, Hu Meiqiao sent a notification in the group chat, saying that the Monday meeting was moved up because she had something important to announce.

Even though Hu Meiqiao only sent a text and not a voice message, everyone could tell from her wording that Dean Hu was in a good mood, and the announcement during the morning meeting was more than likely something great.

Therefore, everyone started chatting as soon as they entered the meeting room.

Ji Xiuwen and Lu Xuan walked into the meeting room to find Wang Youqing and others already seated. Ji Xiuwen plopped down next to Wang Youqing and asked, "Uncle, do you know what the dean is going to announce today? Have you heard any rumors?"

"Why do you all think I would know?" Wang Youqing looked at everyone, feeling frustrated.

"When I arrived, Cheng and the others asked me the same thing, and now you’re asking me too."

"Isn’t it because the dean interacts with you quite frequently, Uncle?"

Ji Xiuwen smiled and said, "Who else would we ask if not you? Sister Cheng, don’t you agree?"

"Exactly."

Cheng Gaowen chimed in, "Uncle, is there something you’re keeping from us?"

"Exactly, the dean always discusses things with you before announcing anything. Who would believe that you don’t know?"

Others also chimed in, escalating the situation.

Wang Youqing was quite frustrated. He wouldn’t have minded if he knew, but the key was that he genuinely knew nothing!

"The dean really didn’t consult me this time. Moreover, you saw that she notified everyone in the group early in the morning, which clearly indicates a spontaneous decision. If I had been consulted, I would have notified you last night, wouldn’t I?"

Wang Youqing explained, "And think about it, whenever the dean discussed things with me, didn’t I always inform you? Was there ever a time when the dean sent a notification in the group herself?"

"Lu and the others haven’t been here long, so it’s understandable they wouldn’t know. But we’ve worked together for seven or eight years. Saying such things really hurts, you know?"

"That seems to be the case."

"What do you mean it seems to be the case? It is the case." Wang Youqing rolled his eyes dramatically at Cheng Gaowen.

Seeing Wang Youqing’s expression, everyone realized that the man they viewed as omniscient truly knew nothing this time. Yet, Ji Xiuwen was unwilling to give up and asked, "Uncle, you really don’t know?"

"I really don’t know."

Wang Youqing spread his hands. "If I knew, I would have told you a long time ago. Additionally, I’m even more curious than you are about what the dean will announce."

"What are you all chatting about?"

Just as Wang Youqing finished spreading his hands, Hu Meiqiao walked in with a wide smile. Seeing everyone gathered and chatting, she curiously asked.

When he saw Hu Meiqiao, Wang Youqing immediately said, "What else is there to talk about? You mentioned in the group that you had an announcement, and now everyone thinks I know something, so they all came to ask me. How would I know?"

Hu Meiqiao suddenly understood and then took a seat, facing everyone. "Old Wang really doesn’t know about this. I only received the notification early this morning, and I immediately sent the notification to the group."

"Good news?" Wang Youqing asked quietly.

"Good news."

Hu Meiqiao nodded but didn’t elaborate. Instead, she reviewed last week’s work and assigned tasks for the week. Then she said, "That’s all for the regular part of the meeting. Now let’s discuss the real deal."

Hearing this, everyone straightened up slightly and looked at Hu Meiqiao with curiosity.

The just concluded regular meeting was packed with important matters, and they thought everything that needed announcing had already been covered. But now it seemed the upcoming announcement was something on a whole different level!

What could it be that made Hu Meiqiao regard it as so significant?

Without keeping them in suspense, Hu Meiqiao said directly, "Before I announce this, let me first talk about the current development of our health center’s Traditional Chinese Medicine department. Ever since Lu took charge of the department, it has transformed from an almost ignored area to one of the health center’s main attractions. The daily number of registrations even surpasses that of the pediatric department, and it includes many complex cases.

As more and more patients receive treatment from Lu, not only has Lu’s reputation grown, but so has our Traditional Chinese Medicine department, now rivaling even major hospitals. This is with only one doctor, Lu, on duty. If more doctors were available, the number of registrations could likely increase even further."

Once Hu Meiqiao said this, everyone nodded in agreement.

Even Lu Xuan, although he said nothing, knew what she said was true.

If more doctors were available for registrations in the Traditional Chinese Medicine department, the number of people registering would only grow.

However, as Wang Youqing listened, he nodded while furrowing his brows: "That’s true, but having more patients brings both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is obvious: our health center’s reputation will expand, as will Lu’s. But the downside is equally obvious; we have only a few people in the Traditional Chinese Medicine department and can’t serve that many patients.

Frankly speaking, even if we hire a few more people to handle prescriptions, it still won’t be enough. The Traditional Chinese Medicine department needs to expand to accommodate dozens of people."

"So the announcement I have today is closely related to this."

Hu Meiqiao glanced at Wang Youqing as she spoke.

Wang Youqing was momentarily stunned and then showed excitement: "Dean, does this mean we’re getting more staff? From what you’re saying, we’re going to need more than just a few people. We’re talking at least a dozen, and some with official positions to boot. Making this happen wouldn’t be that simple, right?"

Although Wang Youqing was keen for the Traditional Chinese Medicine department to expand, he understood how challenging it would be.

Nearly everyone shared this sentiment.

Even Lu Xuan, head of the Traditional Chinese Medicine department and its biggest advocate for expansion, knew that staff issues were tough hurdles to overcome. Getting substantial support from above for this seemed nearly impossible.

Yet Hu Meiqiao appeared to have anticipated this dialogue. She smiled and said, "It’s naturally not that simple. This isn’t just about adding a few hands. I’ve secured the usage rights to the health center’s building, and the authorities have new plans for our Traditional Chinese Medicine department. It will separate from the health center to form a new, small Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital.

And as for the dean of this new hospital, Lu will take on that role. However, since Lu is currently only a licensed physician and lacks full qualifications, he will run things as acting dean. The authorities have also assured us that we can have as many staff as we need."

As Hu Meiqiao spoke, she suddenly noticed the previously bustling meeting room had fallen into complete silence.

Looking around, she saw that every face bore an expression of disbelief.