Chapter 97 – No, Surely… (3)

“Th-this level of impact is about the same as falling off a cliff, isn’t it?”

Do Jun-hwan’s voice trembled.

The pancreas, located deep inside the abdomen, is an organ that does not sustain damage from ordinary impacts.

Nonetheless, the head of the patient’s pancreas was completely severed.

“They probably tied the child to something like a pillar so he couldn’t move, and then struck him with feet or fists. Otherwise, it couldn’t be like this.”

“Wow, what a bastard!”

The patient’s condition was serious enough for curses to burst right out of Do Jun-hwan’s mouth.

“It is still a speculation for now. Anyway, now is the time to focus on the patient. Let us focus!”

“Yes, Professor!”

“Irrigation!”

“Irrigation!”

“Curved mosquito!”

“Curved mosquito!”

Since they had already synchronized, there was no problem with teamwork with Do Jun-hwan. In fact, they seemed to coordinate even better than he did with Kim Yun-seok.

“Do not press the clamp too hard! If it ruptures now, we are in big trouble!”

“Yes. Understood.”

Even while performing the surgery, Kim Ji-hyuk was observing every single action of Do Jun-hwan, who was assisting.

“Forceps.”

“Yes. Forceps.”

“Dr. Do Jun-hwan, retract a bit further upward with the Deaver. It is blocking the view too much.”

“Yes, Professor!”

“Thank goodness. We can save the pylorus!”

Kim Ji-hyuk let out a sigh of relief.

“Phew, indeed. Just as you said, Professor, I think we can save the pylorus!”

Do Jun-hwan, too, shared the same opinion as Kim Ji-hyuk.

The pylorus, which tapers down from the stomach. It corresponds to the boundary between the stomach and the duodenum, and whether it could be saved or not made a world of difference for the future prognosis.

“Dr. Do, we will save the pylorus as much as possible, resect the severely inflamed duodenum and pancreatic head, and pull the small intestine to connect it to the pancreas. I think we can finish it up like that.”

“Yes. Understood.”

Tick-tock, the surgical time flowed helplessly.

Before long, five hours had elapsed since Kim Ji-hyuk began the operation.

Because major blood vessels pass around the pancreas, pancreatic resection requires special caution.

Only because of the experienced Kim Ji-hyuk did the process look smooth; it was by no means an easy surgery.

As time passed and Kim Ji-hyuk cleanly pulled Jeong-ho’s small intestine to connect it to the pancreas, the lengthy seven-hour surgery finally concluded.

“As expected!”

“The best!”

“The last surgery wasn’t a fluke!”

The perfect surgery drew exclamations of admiration from all the medical staff in the operating room.

Thus, the surgery ended successfully.

* * *

A moment later, in the changing room.

“Professor, thank you so much for your hard work! I learned a great lesson again today!”

As they entered the changing room after the surgery, Do Jun-hwan bowed.

Brimming with positive energy, Do Jun-hwan was always bright and affable.

‘Sigh, why does he keep calling me professor? It is embarrassing.’

“I told you I am not a professor. If you keep doing this, I feel too embarrassed.”

Kim Ji-hyuk smiled awkwardly as he changed clothes.

“*Hehehe*, if you teach me, you are naturally a professor. Although it was a short time, I learned so much from you, Professor. When will I acquire skills like yours?”

“I told you I am not a professor! Please stop calling me that. I feel like my limbs are cringing away!”

“*Hehehe*, still, I will just call you Professor.”

“Sigh…”

‘Aside from being a bit too cheeky, he is a good guy. Grandfather is going to America anyway… This guy Do Jun-hwan seems to have good hands and quite a keen eye; it would be beneficial in many ways to work together!’

Although Do Jun-hwan’s attitude was somewhat uncomfortable, Kim Ji-hyuk liked him in terms of both skill and character.

“Do not mind it too much! It is just my way.”

“Hmm, by any chance, do you have any interest in working in Seoul?”

“Of course! Who wouldn’t want to go to Seoul? Besides, if I can work with you, Professor, I will set aside everything and follow you.”

Do Jun-hwan’s eyes sparkled.

“*Fufu*, I will try to find a way.”

“Really? How great would it be if that could actually happen?”

“Since both the provincial hospital and the National Medical Center are state-run hospitals, a solution should come up if we look for one. However, do not get your hopes too high.”

“Understood!”

“Yes. Today’s surgery also ended smoothly thanks to Dr. Do. You worked hard too, Dr. Do.”

“For me… By the way, Professor! There is something a bit strange.”

Do Jun-hwan tilted his head.

“Something strange? What is it?”

“By any chance, is today’s patient the one transferred from Ilseong Clinic?”

“I am not sure if it was Ilseong Clinic… but they said the doctor in charge was Jo Dong-gi?”

“That is right! Ilseong Clinic!”

Do Jun-hwan nodded vigorously.

“Why?”

“It is… lately, patients who received treatment at Ilseong Clinic are frequently transferred here.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Even in my eyes, there are too many cases of misdiagnosis. Especially, injection accidents never end. A few days ago, a pregnant woman almost died due to an abortion accident.”

“At Ilseong Clinic?”

“Yes. Ilseong Clinic is especially like that, but there is a rumor that medical accidents are also frequent at hospitals in Munbaek-gun and Dongnyeong-gun. There are exceptionally many accidents lately. Whether those humans are quacks or what, anyway, the Gangwon-do area is also having a headache because of quack doctors. I mean, they make the mess, and our hospital has to do all the clean-up.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“What is the use of having the National Medical Law? It is too useless. Quack doctors are overflowing, but the inspectors play hand-in-glove with them and turn a blind eye, and they make medical license renewal a recommendation instead of forcing it, so who would renew it? Seriously, this is a shortcut to national ruin!”

Do Jun-hwan got worked up, spitting as he spoke.

“Hmm… You have the list of patients transferred from Ilseong Clinic, right? Can I take a look at it?”

“Yes. I will organize it and send it to you.”

‘Professor Jo Dong-gi! Is it really you? I must verify it myself!’

Kim Ji-hyuk shut his mouth firmly with a serious expression.

* * *

A few days ago, Moeundong clinic.

‘How can this be…’

Looking over the patient chart details Do Jun-hwan sent him, Kim Ji-hyuk could not suppress his shock. Not to mention the misdiagnoses of quack doctors, everyone who possessed even a sliver of medical knowledge was opening clinics and practicing without qualifications.

It was not just one or two hospitals that prescribed drugs absolutely prohibited for pregnant women.

‘They prescribed statin-class drugs to pregnant women? And even warfarin?’

An absurd situation.

Taking statin drugs, namely hyperlipidemia medicine, inhibits cholesterol production, which interferes with hormone or cell membrane formation, severely hindering fetal development, while the anticoagulant warfarin crosses the placenta and can cause birth defects in early pregnancy.

All these drugs were prohibited for pregnant women according to US FDA standards.

Despite this, such drugs were being abused.

‘I must absolutely not leave these people alone! What on earth are they doing right now? I must go to Ilseong Clinic immediately.’

It was no longer something to just stand by and watch.

“Nurse Park! Are there any waiting patients today?”

Kim Ji-hyuk asked Nurse Park In-seon about the patient reservation status.

“No. You just need to deliver Mr. Park’s high blood pressure medicine and Grandmother Yun’s arthritis medicine later in the afternoon. There are no reserved patients.”

“Then please handle that yourself, Nurse… I think I need to visit Ilseong Clinic.”

“Ah! Ilseong Clinic!”

“Yes. It seems there are some problems with that clinic.”

“That is true. I also heard it through the grapevine, but patients treated at Ilseong Clinic, far from being cured, find their illnesses worsen instead once they go there. Rumors are rampant lately.”

“I see.”

‘If it is indeed that Professor Jo Dong-gi I know… are you really acting this cringingly base to the very bottom?’

Kim Ji-hyuk clenched both fists.

* * *

A few hours later, Ilseong Clinic.

Ilseong Clinic, situated in a prime spot in the Munsal town market, the busiest area of Munseon-gun.

The exterior was a state-of-the-art building, equipped even with an ambulance modified from a military jeep. From the appearance alone, it looked like a proper clinic.

*Creak—*

Kim Ji-hyuk, having inspected the surroundings closely, opened the door and stepped inside.

“Welcome.”

As Kim Ji-hyuk entered, the nurse welcomed him.

“Hello. Is this the place where Dr. Jo Dong-gi performs treatments?”

“Yes! He is our director.”

“Ah, I see. I came because I heard he performs treatments extremely well.”

“*Hohoho*, is that so? Our director used to be at a big hospital in Seoul, so he is highly skilled. So… where does it hurt?”

“My head has been hurting since a few days ago, and I have a bit of a cough.”

“Oh dear, it is pneumonia! We have a medicine that works instantly for pneumonia. Would you like to try it?”

‘These humans are completely insane! A nurse is making a diagnosis right now? And without an examination?’

A situation that could not and should not exist was unfolding before his eyes.

“Works instantly for pneumonia?”

“Of course! It is just that the price is a bit high. Since it is American-made, the effect is certain. It is this one here…”

The nurse showed the medicine bottle to Kim Ji-hyuk.

A medicine container covered in English. So it was indeed American-made. From the appearance, at least.

However, it was merely a cheap vitamin supplement, not pneumonia medicine.

“Did you say this works well for pneumonia?”

“Of course! Everyone cured their illness within a few days by taking this. Well… would you like to take it? The price is a bit steep, though?”

The nurse scanned Kim Ji-hyuk’s body. She seemed to be gauging whether he was someone she could sell medicine to.

“Shouldn’t I receive an examination before taking medicine?”

“*Hohoho*, the examination fee is quite expensive… Besides, I have ten years of experience as a nurse, so I can tell a guest’s illness just by looking. Our director is busy too, and considering the examination fee, it would be to your benefit to just buy this medicine and take it?”

‘This woman isn’t a nurse either! A nurse would never say such nonsense!’

“Still, I will receive the examination first.”

“Ahem, well… if you insist, it cannot be helped. Please write down your personal details there! You will have to wait for quite a long time. Our director is incredibly busy!”

As soon as he declined to buy the medicine, the nurse’s expression changed 180 degrees.

‘Absurd!’

*Scribble, scribble—*

With that, Kim Ji-hyuk wrote his personal details on the examination request form and sat down.

A moment later.

Thus, after waiting for about an hour for the examination.

*Thud—*

The director’s office door opened, and a woman walked out.

‘She is not a patient, is she? What is this situation?’

A cheap-looking woman walked out making chewing gum sounds. She held a thermos and a tray wrapped in a cloth in both hands. Rather than examining a patient, it was a situation from which one could infer that he had ordered and drank coffee.

“Patient Kim Ji-hyuk! Please enter the examination room!”

At that, the nurse called out Kim Ji-hyuk’s name.