Wang Jin didn't expect that he would be asked this question. He scratched his head and said:
"At least this situation also exists in our village. The elderly and children are basically ignored when they are sick. It would be good if there were a local doctor in the village who could go up the mountain to pick some herbs.
For example, if we have a cold or fever, we will pick some bupleurum and boil it into soup. If we have injuries, we will use some chicken blood vine, which are herbs that can be found in the mountains.
If you can endure it, endure it. If you can't, that's all you can do. Basically, you won't be sent to the county hospital.
Our village is in Lalie Commune, 50 kilometers from the county seat, and there's no road access. If someone gets sick, they can only be carried out in this simple sedan chair."
Wang Jin pointed to the bamboo sedan chairs made by the mountain people themselves in the yard.
"Boss, think about it, 50 kilometers, with ups and downs on the mountain road, it's impossible to reach the county town in one day. Only the landlords before liberation could afford it, and ordinary people couldn't do it.
So when you say that we should build new village clinics in rural areas, that every village should have barefoot doctors, and that farmers should have a place to get treatment when they are sick, I wholeheartedly agree with you. We farmers are suffering so much.
If you, boss, are willing to set up a village clinic in my hometown, Lalie Commune, I am willing to contribute one year's salary."
Huang Xiaoji quickly assured him, "Me too, I'm willing to donate my annual salary."
When Shan Guangming heard this, his eyes lit up instantly:
"Minister Lin, what do you mean?"
Lin Sanqi no longer concealed the truth. With local veterans like Wang Jin around, he should be able to understand the real situation.
There is another advantage to the barefoot doctor pilot program in Andu County. There are more than 50 veterans from Andu, distributed in various communes. It will be easy for Lin Sanqi to understand the real situation.
These veterans have no conflicts of interest with their hometowns, so they would definitely prefer to please their bosses and tell the truth, and willingly serve as spies.
Lin Sanqi continued at this time:
"County Magistrate Jin, Dean Shan, the country is definitely going to promote the barefoot doctor system in rural areas across the country. This is a mission and is non-negotiable.
But you don't have to worry. The country dares to promote barefoot doctors because it has prepared feasible methods.
I can answer the concerns that County Magistrate Jin just mentioned now. First, the capital investment does not need to be too much. For example, barefoot doctors can open clinics in their own homes, and there is no need to build new hospitals.
If your home is not big enough, you can borrow a house from a village temple, a landlord, or a village committee office, etc. You only need one or two rooms, 20 to 30 square meters is enough.
At most, we'll need to equip ourselves with some blood pressure monitors, thermometers, gauze, and other medical equipment and other small devices. How much will that cost? And these things will be distributed free of charge by higher authorities, so there's no need for you to raise funds."
Upon hearing this, County Magistrate Jin breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that as long as the county didn't have to pay for it, the more free things the better.
Lin Sanqi also understood that if he wanted the local government to cooperate, he must not harm local interests, that is, he must not let the local government pay, otherwise they would definitely oppose it.
Lin Sanqi was actually going to pay for this money himself.
After all, the country is currently unable to mass-produce equipment such as blood pressure monitors and thermometers. Even if it can be produced, the output is very low. After all, materials such as rubber are still under control and are completely dependent on imports.
But this is a piece of cake for China in 2016.
Being a manufacturing powerhouse is not just talk. When orders for millions of blood pressure monitors come in, there will be plenty of manufacturers to take them up, and it will also boost domestic demand.
"Also, you don't have to worry about doctors. Here's the 'Barefoot Doctor Handbook' compiled by our Bao'an County."
Li Yujie handed the two red booklets to County Magistrate Jin and Dean Shan.
"This manual is designed for training rural doctors. We plan to find a literate young man in each village, who will be able to take up his post and treat villagers after one month of training.
If there are any diseases you don't understand, you can look through this "Barefoot Doctor's Handbook." If there are still diseases you can't treat, your county hospital will need technical guidance."
Shan Guangming flipped through the catalog and took a quick look at the contents. His eyes widened.
"Oh, this manual is great, it's great, easy to learn, and it's full of valuable information."
As an administrative leader, County Mayor Jin obviously has more to consider:
"Minister Lin, even if the village clinic is built, how will the medication problem be solved? Look here, it says you can take cefuroxime orally, one pill at a time, twice a day.
What is this drug called cefuroxime? We have never heard of it, let alone where to buy it. Even if there is a place to buy it, whether we have the financial resources is a big problem.
Lin Sanqi took a deep breath and felt a tightness in his chest.
In the 1960s, whenever he raised an issue, countless difficult problems would arise. It was truly an era of poverty and destitution.
"You don't have to worry about medicines, which are divided into Chinese and Western medicines.
As for Chinese medicine, it is all noted in the "Barefoot Doctor Manual" and there are illustrations. Rural doctors can pick Chinese herbal medicines themselves to treat diseases according to local conditions.
(Each region has a different version of the Barefoot Doctor Manual, as Chinese herbal medicine has regional differences.)
As for Western medicine, when your county sets up a pharmaceutical company, our Bao'an County Pharmaceutical Factory can sell you the first batch of Western medicine, including the cephalosporin you mentioned, on credit.
After you get the Western medicine, the barefoot doctors in each village can purchase it from your newly established county pharmaceutical company. After you receive the money, you can transfer the payment to our Bao'an County Pharmaceutical Factory.
This is equivalent to us lending you some start-up capital.
But there is a prerequisite here: debts must be repaid, and finances must be clear and able to withstand audits.
If any county receives medicine but refuses to pay, we will blacklist it and stop supplying it. Don't accuse Bao'an County of being heartless then."
When County Magistrate Jin heard this, he slammed the table:
"Minister Lin, what else is there to say? Let's start the pilot program right away and begin this barefoot doctor training program. Don't worry, on behalf of the County W government, I firmly support this new policy."
At this time, Dean Shan stroked his chin and thought of another question:
"Minister Lin, let's not talk about distant places, let's just talk about our county hospital. Why is it so small? In addition to the lack of medicine, the most important problem is the lack of doctors because their income is unstable and not guaranteed.
On the other hand, if every village has a barefoot doctor, how can these barefoot doctors be guaranteed an income? After all, everyone needs to eat, so you can't treat people while they're hungry, right?
County Magistrate Jin also calmed down, and then became a little scared.
There are more than 200 villages, which means there are more than 200 barefoot doctors. Plus 25 commune health centers, even if there are only three doctors in one commune, that’s 75 people in total.
All in all, the county has to bear the salaries of almost 300 medical workers, which is a burden that the poor county of Andu cannot bear.
Lin Sanqi already had a solution to Dean Shan's question.
"The income of barefoot doctors is divided into three parts. Don't worry, County Magistrate Jin, we will definitely not add any additional burden to your local government.
But on the other hand, if the barefoot doctors' income increases, your local government is not allowed to find various excuses to take away their hard-earned money."
County Magistrate Jin blinked. "Minister Lin, how can it be divided into three parts?"
Lin Sanqi counted on his fingers and said:
"First, the barefoot doctors' treatment is not free. Each farmer has to pay a registration fee of 5 cents, and all medicines are allowed to be sold at a 15% markup. In other words, no matter how much money is earned, it belongs to the barefoot doctors personally.
Secondly, for villages with poor conditions and fewer villagers, barefoot doctors adopt a 'half-work, half-medicine' model, where they can continue to work in the fields to earn work points and treat patients in their spare time."
In fact, the original model of the "Rural Medical Cooperative" in the 1960s and 1970s was:
Every year, each villager pays a few cents, and when seeing a doctor, they only need to pay a small registration fee and the medicine can be obtained for free.
But one negative consequence of this is that it doesn't matter how much the barefoot doctors work, they have no enthusiasm for work. In fact, if there are too many patients, the barefoot doctors will lose money.
According to Lin Sanqi's model, the more patients the barefoot doctor has, the higher his income will be, which will maximize the work enthusiasm of the barefoot doctor.
At the same time, barefoot doctors have become the highest-earning group in rural areas. Can this encourage more educated young people to compete to become barefoot doctors?
This is a virtuous cycle and sustainable development.
"As for the third source of income, our Bao'an County has decided that each barefoot doctor will receive a 120 yuan subsidy per year. This amount will be covered by our Bao'an County finances for the time being. The subsidy will be provided for an initial five years." (End of chapter)
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