I Can Hear the Heart's Voice of Traditional Chinese Medicine-Chapter 309 - 137: Chronic Allergic Rhinitis

The old leader had already spoken, so Hu Meiqiao was not going to hold back either.

"I want to use that building solely for the Traditional Chinese Medicine department."

"That’s not difficult. After all, it’s just sitting there, and everything inside is basically available. As for funding, your Health Center alone can handle it, so it’s not a big issue. Dean Hu, you’ve gone through all this trouble. I don’t think it’s just for this small matter, is it?"

Ma Shanjun was not convinced at all.

Those who didn’t understand Hu Meiqiao’s personality might actually believe she just wanted to use the new building. However, Ma Shanjun chuckled, "Go ahead, since you’re already here, I’ve had tea, no need to hide anything. I have a meeting this afternoon, and I need to review some documents."

Hu Meiqiao didn’t delay and directly stated, "I want to develop the Traditional Chinese Medicine department into a small Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital with an inpatient department. So, my visit this time is to ask you for personnel and funding.

The funding and staffing requirements are all detailed in the materials I’ve prepared for you to look at."

Ma Shanjun did not speak. Instead, he glanced at the materials Hu Meiqiao had given him earlier. After a while, he looked up and said, "Dean Hu, you have quite the appetite. But I’m not sure if your small Traditional Chinese Medicine department can handle such a big project. At least thirty staff for the medical and logistics teams, not to mention the on-call doctors, will require several million in funding. Do you really think a bank is yours to operate?

How dare you write such a proposal? If everyone were like you, we might as well turn all health centers into hospitals."

Hu Meiqiao wasn’t bothered by his words. She knew Ma Shanjun wouldn’t agree after reading it and responded without missing a beat, "Leader, you can’t put it that way. I wrote this proposal because Dr. Lu has that capability. More and more people are seeking Dr. Lu for treatment, and there might be patients needing inpatient observation among them. As healthcare personnel, we can’t just push patients away and ignore their conditions, can we?"

"I don’t know much about Lu Xuan, but no matter how capable he is, even if he’s invited by the United South Chinese Medicine Association, that’s just one person. I cannot just allocate people and money for one person."

Ma Shanjun’s face darkened, "Besides, this matter is not for me alone to decide. It needs to go through the board meeting, and mainly, this project won’t get approval from the Development and Reform Commission. You know very well why." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Success depends on people."

Hu Meiqiao wasn’t ready to give up, "Leader, you know my character. Once I’ve set my mind on something, I won’t easily give up. I came to you today to seek your consent and support.

As long as you support it, I will handle the approvals from the Development and Reform Commission, no matter how many visits it takes. It’s crucial to get it past you first."

Ma Shanjun shook his head, "I can’t sign off on this application. If it were something else, I would help if I could, but for this project, you should take your materials back."

"Leader, Dr. Lu is really amazing. With his ability, our Health Center’s Traditional Chinese Medicine department will eventually evolve into a unique Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. By then, you’ll have played a part in its success! The higher-ups will notice."

Ma Shanjun didn’t reply.

Indeed, just as Hu Meiqiao said, if successful, he would share in the achievement. If the Traditional Chinese Medicine department of Qiu City Street Health Center could indeed establish a Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital independently, it could potentially elevate his career.

But the reality is, the likelihood of the project encountering problems is higher.

It’s not a matter of competence but rather that the invested human and material resources might not yield the expected results. In that case, both Hu Meiqiao and he would face failure.

Additionally, it’s not merely a matter of taking responsibility but that the project itself breaches regulations, making approval unlikely anywhere.

Seeing that Ma Shanjun remained silent, Hu Meiqiao realized the chances of convincing her old leader were slim. However, after some thought, she gritted her teeth and said, "Leader, isn’t there any recent planning from the city? Is there no chance to catch a ride?"

"You’re still not giving up!" Ma Shanjun looked exasperated.

"No, planning for a new hospital requires a need to justify it. I have no issue letting you use the building, but I can’t provide personnel and funding.

You only have one doctor. How many patients can he see in a day? A little over a hundred maybe? I don’t even want to talk about profit. If I say something, you’ll likely argue that hospitals are for treatment, not profit. But the key is, when the government invests money, it needs to see some results, right?

If there are no results, where will I source so many staff positions and millions for renovations?

Take your materials back. My hands are tied."

Ma Shanjun showed no friendly demeanor toward Hu Meiqiao.

He wasn’t inclined to, for fear that she might corner him with a slew of arguments and reasons. Since his answer was a refusal anyway, it was better to be firm and leave no room for hope.

Seeing the leader’s demeanor turning colder, Hu Meiqiao realized there was no hope of persuasion. She could only step forward to take back the materials handed over by Ma Shanjun.

However, just as she reached out, Ma Shanjun retracted the materials and said without lifting his head, "I can’t bear to see you like this. I’ll keep the materials for now. When I have the chance, I’ll ask the person at the Development and Reform Commission to see if there are any other solutions. But I’m telling you in advance, there’s not much hope. Don’t set your expectations too high."