Surgery Godfather
Chapter 1233 - 951: Shameless Scoundrel

Chapter 1233: Chapter 951: Shameless Scoundrel

Pneumoconiosis is actually the most common occupational disease in our country at the moment. Occupational diseases are diseases that workers contract from being exposed to dust, radioactive materials, or other toxic and harmful substances or harmful mental factors during their regular work. In other words, there is a direct causal relationship between the onset of the disease and occupational exposure, with dust exposure leading to pneumoconiosis being the most common.

As the name suggests, it seems, on the surface, that pneumoconiosis means there is a lot of dust in the lungs. The true meaning isn’t too far from this. Pneumoconiosis is a disease where the lung tissue becomes fibrotic due to long-term inhalation of inorganic dust particles in the work environment, consequently impairing lung function.

The cause is long-term exposure to dust at work, and the result is fibrosis of lung tissue and impaired lung function.

It is not only lung tissue; fibrosis in any organ tissue, once it exceeds a certain proportion, is frightening. Fibrosis means that the original functional cells of the lungs are replaced by connective tissue cells. The original cells have specific functions, but connective tissue cells do not have such specific functions—they are essentially superfluous. Therefore, the ultimate result is damage to the organ’s function, leading to eventual failure.

Ou Lianfeng was admitted to the hospital to prepare for a thoracotomy to examine his lungs—a last resort. It was clearly pneumoconiosis, but the local occupational disease prevention institute simply refused to diagnose it. It couldn’t just end like that.

Given the current condition of the lungs, Ou Lianfeng probably wouldn’t live for more than a few years if he did not undergo a lung transplant. Every time he thought about this, Ou Lianfeng couldn’t help but feel extremely distressed. He had been running around for years, accumulating debt, and still had not received a diagnosis of pneumoconiosis.

Without a diagnosis of pneumoconiosis, Ou Lianfeng couldn’t get compensation; without compensation, he couldn’t get treatment, let alone continue living.

Now, whether Ou Lianfeng goes to his original workplace or the occupational disease prevention institute, they both treat him as a troublemaker. He’s not even allowed through the door. The security guards recognize him and directly turn him away.

Some things can’t be clearly explained over the phone, so Dean Xia specifically took time out to visit the Surgical Research Institute and discuss the matter with Yang Ping.

"This is pneumoconiosis, no doubt about it, but the patient has been running around for years without a diagnosis. He’s visited many major hospitals, including in Beijing, Shanghai, and our area. All specialists consider pneumoconiosis, but their local occupational disease prevention institute has consistently refused to make a direct diagnosis. They demand that the patient provide an occupational history, dust exposure history, environmental monitoring reports over the years, and the patient’s health examination reports from over the years."

Yang Ping gave Dean Xia a brief overview of the situation, and then took him to see Ou Lianfeng.

Back in the doctor’s office, Dean Xia stared at the X-rays on the electronic screen. Although he had not been involved in clinical work for many years, he still had basic clinical knowledge, and if Yang Ping said it was pneumoconiosis, there were no doubts.

"Pneumoconiosis is an occupational disease, and the diagnosis of occupational diseases has always been based on the principle of jurisdiction—that is, it must be diagnosed by a qualified occupational disease prevention institute in the location of the worker’s employment. Hospitals without qualification, as well as qualified hospitals outside the area of jurisdiction, cannot make the diagnosis. According to this principle, the only legitimate diagnosis for him can come from their local occupational disease prevention institute. But think about it, why has this patient been without a solution for so long? The enterprise in their area must have intricate local ties. How can an ordinary worker possibly fight against a corporation?"

Dean Xia was clear about these matters. Having heard the basics from Yang Ping, he already had a good understanding, and it wasn’t the first time he had heard of such cases.

"What do you plan to do about it?"

Dean Xia asked.

After thinking for a moment, Yang Ping said, "We plan to perform surgery on the patient, taking lung tissue with thoracoscopy for pathological examination. If that doesn’t work, then we’ll have to open the chest to examine the lungs."

"Good! Since you’ve got this sort of integrity as doctors, I can’t be left behind. Go ahead and do what you need to do; I’ll take responsibility for any consequences. I refuse to believe in this evil. If it can’t be solved in so many years, today it will be resolved in our Sanbo Hospital. Technically, do whatever you need to do; I’ll shoulder the rest. However, you must communicate well with the patient, for such a thoracotomy has probably no precedent in the country."

Dean Xia’s voice was particularly loud—when he spoke at meetings, the whole room could hear him even without a microphone.

With Dean Xia’s support, everyone felt much more reassured. After all, the hospital would be involved in the end; it wasn’t just Yang Ping’s matter alone.

"The patient currently has very poor respiratory function and definitely needs a lung transplant. Before that, it would be best to perform a lung lavage, but the patient’s financial situation is very dire. This hospitalization was funded by selling all his family possessions to collect ten thousand yuan. There’s no money for the following lavage or anything, let alone a lung transplant."

Graduate student Xiao Wu also chimed in. He had just graduated recently, and with his naive thinking, he was highly empathetic, always wanting to provide some help to Ou Lianfeng.

"I’ll think of a way. I’ll have someone from the hospital’s relief fund investigate his situation. If he truly qualifies for aid, then our relief fund will pay for his continued treatment."

Dean Xia could only say this for the time being, as the relief fund was not meant to be used casually. It must meet certain criteria, and a strict investigation of the patient’s situation was required.

At that moment, Dean Sun also arrived at the Surgical Research Institute. He found Dean Xia there, so they could discuss the pneumoconiosis patient’s case together. Dean Sun’s brows were tightly furrowed as he sat down, "How is it going? Has the patient been discharged?"