Practicing Medical Skills in a Small Clinic

Chapter 519 - 240: Misdiagnosed Arthritis, Dr. Ruan’s Grievance (Part 2)

Persuaded by Li Jingsheng, the patient reluctantly sat down.

His girlfriend was also trying hard to convince him.

She was worried about him accidentally injuring the doctor and getting arrested, which would ruin everything.

Seeing the patient sit down, Ruan Xiaoqin quickly slipped out.

Being trapped in the consultation room by the patient earlier, she was probably very scared.

"I injured my hand playing basketball, and at first, I thought it was nothing serious, so I didn’t get it treated. Later, my thumb and the area around it kept hurting, and it seemed a bit swollen, so I came to see a doctor. I thought it was a minor issue and could be easily treated by any doctor. I registered to see Dr. Ruan Xiaoqin, and the first time he took an X-ray, examined me, and said it was arthritis, then prescribed medicine.

I spent several hundred yuan, and it took almost half a day to queue for tests, follow-up visits, and to get medicine.

But there was no effect at all.

About half a month later, I went to see him again. He told me to register and queue because my previous registration had expired.

I followed his instructions, re-registered, and queued up, and finally got to see him.

Then he just said a few words, stating that the recovery period for osteoarthritis is quite long, and then prescribed me some more medicine, like aspirin or something, anyway, another bunch of pills. Spent several hundred more."

The man’s account of his medical experience was filled with anger.

"The treatment period for arthritis is indeed relatively long. Dr. Ruan’s diagnosis and prescription from a procedural standpoint should be fine," Director Zheng observed as Li Jingsheng managed to calm the patient down.

Now he finally felt safe enough to come over to handle the matter.

The hospital had a rule where the person with the higher qualifications or title is in charge.

For example, during surgery, if Li Jingsheng were the lead surgeon but Professor Wu were present,

then the responsibility wouldn’t fall on Li Jingsheng but on Professor Wu.

If something goes wrong in the operating room, Professor Wu would be held accountable.

"That guy is an incompetent doctor, just talking nonsense. There was no effect after I took the medicine the second time. A month later, I found him again; he ran more tests on me, even took a CT, and then suggested my thumb could be tuberculosis. He began treating it as tuberculosis, but still, there was no effect.

This time when I came to him, he spouted a bunch of stuff again, saying it could possibly be a combination of tuberculosis and gout.

He wanted to do another CT, a few hundred to a thousand each time. Do they really think patients have money growing on trees?

Charging high fees is one thing, but the key is to treat my illness!

I’ve been treated for months, spent thousands, and my hand is still swollen. Every time I play basketball or do anything, it hurts a lot. If your hospital doesn’t resolve this today, I’ll make sure that quack doctor is dead even if I end up in jail."

The man uttered threats.

However, he was ultimately too young; he talked tough, but his eyes flickered.

He was simply forcing the hospital to solve his problem.

Actually killing a doctor would destroy himself too, wouldn’t it?

"Didn’t you think about seeing a different doctor?"

Li Jingsheng genuinely felt troubled for this guy.

Knowing well he’s a quack, yet still going back to him repeatedly—isn’t that foolish?

With so many doctors in the hospital, why not switch to a higher-level one?

Even registering for a specialist consultation would be worthwhile.

A regular specialist consultation at the Second Hospital costs three hundred yuan.

In orthopedics, only Director Hua qualifies as a specialist; even Director Chen Anchen and Director Zhong Hu don’t make the cut. They’re still at the regular specialist level.

"That quack said all doctors in your hospital are about the same, that it doesn’t matter who I see."

This patient was being bluffed to death.

He believed everything Ruan Xiaoqin said.

But to be fair, Ruan Xiaoqin was indeed a smooth talker.

"This is Director Zheng from our orthopedics department; you could also consult him. Dr. Ruan is an attending physician, while Director Zheng is an associate chief physician, with more experience and likely higher skills."

Li Jingsheng advised beside him.

"Uh... I’m actually not very skilled with joint-related diseases. Why don’t we have Director Wu handle it later? He’s a chief physician, at a higher level than I am."

Director Zheng was slick and didn’t take on the patient.

Not every doctor can be as sincere as Li Jingsheng; some are calculative about fame and fortune.

If they perceive high risks that might tarnish their reputation, they might refuse.

This is common human behavior.

Knowing it’s trouble, taking it on would be foolish, right?

That’s why some patients find themselves unable to get treated in major hospitals; the conditions are too complex or severe, and doctors fear mishaps.

As they were speaking, Professor Wu quickly arrived.

Speaking of Professor Wu, his love for beauty was undeniable, but whether he craved money was unknown. After all, any illicit income is kept tightly under wraps, never disclosed to outsiders.

While Professor Wu had several flaws and couldn’t be called highly skilled, he did look out for the doctors in his group.

When faced with difficult patients, he seldom shirked responsibility, always helping his doctors find ways to solve the issues.

"Director Wu, this patient mentioned seeking treatment from Dr. Ruan multiple times without seeing results and wants a higher-level doctor to assist him. You have research in orthopedic trauma and orthopedics, so we’ll hand this patient over to you. I have more patients waiting; I’ll take my leave now."

Director Zheng quickly explained with a few words.

And promptly made an exit.

Li Jingsheng was fairly considerate and didn’t rush off.

He only left after making sure Professor Wu was seated, there were no signs of violence from the patient, and the hospital security had arrived.