Deputy Mayor Zhang?
Chen Ning's eyes lit up. She had heard of Vice Mayor Zhang Zhiyuan; he did have some reputation among the people.
He is a good leader who gets things done.
However, she had only been working for a few days and didn't quite understand what kind of work this Deputy Mayor Zhang was in charge of.
The security captain continued, "Vice Mayor Zhang is in charge of medical care, sanitation, and public security, especially public security. He's done a really good job. There haven't been any major cases in Xidu these past two years, and even the underworld bosses have been behaving themselves!" "Furthermore, Vice Mayor Zhang pays special attention to medical care. Many chronic diseases that weren't reimbursed before are now being reimbursed since he took office. The unified payment system saves a lot of money! I heard he's recently been negotiating with the pharmaceutical sector to include rare diseases in medical insurance! My nephew has a rare disease, and we've spent a lot of money since he was born. If this can be done, it will truly be a blessing for us ordinary people!"
Chen Ning was also quite excited. Her father, Chen Gang, suffered from a rare disease, and the medical expenses over the past few years had drained their family's savings. If rare diseases could be covered by medical insurance, it would be a great blessing for a family like hers.
It seems that this Vice Mayor Zhang is truly a good leader who gets things done.
"Wait! What did you just say? Vice Mayor Zhang is also in charge of health-related work?" Chen Ning's beautiful eyes trembled.
The security captain said, "Yes! Your health department is under the jurisdiction of Vice Mayor Zhang. Everything, including getting the official stamp, has to go through him. Didn't you know that?"
Hearing this, Chen Ning was overjoyed. So this Deputy Mayor Zhang was Chen Tao's superior. Since this leader was a man of action, she thought that if she went to him to raise the issue of additive standards, perhaps he would reconsider the approval!
Thinking of this, Chen Ning couldn't wait to run to the municipal government office.
Just as Chen Ning arrived at the door of the deputy mayor's office, he saw a tall, square-faced middle-aged man carrying a briefcase walk out.
"Deputy Mayor Zhang, this is Chen Ning, the deputy director of the Health Department. I have something to report to you!" Chen Ning quickly followed.
Zhang Zhiyuan didn't stop walking. He frowned and said, "I need to go out on business now. If you need anything, you can make an appointment at the office!"
After finishing speaking, Zhang Zhiyuan impatiently quickened his pace.
"Hey, Deputy Mayor Zhang!"
Chen Ning hurriedly tried to chase after him, but was stopped by a young male secretary. The secretary said coldly in a low voice, "Just started working here? Don't you know the rules? Don't you know your rank? If you have any problems, go directly to your department head. You can't bypass your superiors, understand? Do you want to quit?"
After being questioned and scolded by her male secretary, Chen Ning's face immediately turned awkward. She slowly stopped walking and only came to her senses after Zhang Zhiyuan had walked away.
Yes, in this hierarchical building, it's not easy for her to have a private conversation with Zhang Zhiyuan.
That's called breaking the rules.
She didn't know who set this rule, and she could never understand it.
Aren't people supposed to be equal? Foreign prime ministers can still ride bicycles on the street after leaving office, so why is it so difficult for us to even meet with our superiors?
Chen Ning couldn't understand why, but she was determined to report this to Zhang Zhiyuan.
Remembering what the male secretary had said earlier, she went to the municipal government office and made an appointment.
"Vice Mayor Zhang is going to inspect the neighboring county today; he probably won't be back until evening!"
Faced with the office staff's cold words, Chen Ning quickly replied, "I'm willing to wait!"
They waited for a whole day.
The chairs outside were too cold, so she curled up and fell asleep without realizing it.
As people left after get off work, she was completely unaware.
I don't know how much time passed, but a tall and straight figure returned.
"Vice Mayor Zhang, our official car has been sent for maintenance. How about I drive you home in my own car today?"
"No need, you can go now. I still have some official documents to process!"
Zhang Zhiyuan waved wearily, telling his male secretary to go back first, while he returned to his office.
As soon as he reached the door, he saw Chen Ning lying asleep on the bench. He couldn't help but frown, but he stopped, took off his clothes, and covered her with the blanket.
"Vice Mayor Zhang, you, you're back!" Chen Ning sat up in a panic.
Zhang Zhiyuan shook his head helplessly, "It's so cold outside, aren't you afraid of catching a cold sleeping here!"
"Ah, no, I'm sorry, I... I don't know how I fell asleep!" Chen Ning said awkwardly.
Zhang Zhiyuan sighed helplessly, "Alright, let's go inside and talk!"
Chen Ning then followed Zhang Zhiyuan into the house.
Then, he couldn't wait to talk about Tianhai's additive standards.
After listening, Zhang Zhiyuan frowned. "I've already reviewed the standards provided by Tianhai. They comply with national standards, so there's no problem! The procedures are all legal!"
Chen Ning quickly said, "Deputy Mayor Zhang, legal doesn't mean reasonable! National standards are just the bottom line, not the health line! If we really implement these standards and people actually use these products, especially if they are used repeatedly in multiple ways, it will be harmful to their health!"
“I have some investigation reports here, as well as some test results from abroad that I found online, all of which show that these additives are harmful! You may not see anything in the short term, but over the years, problems will slowly emerge, and by then it will be too late!”
"Furthermore! The proportion of cancer patients in our Great Xia in recent years, rare diseases, and terminal illnesses are also affecting younger and younger people, which is related to these additives!"
Chen Ning kept handing out the materials she had prepared to Zhang Zhiyuan and explaining them to him.
At first, Zhang Zhiyuan just frowned and pondered, wondering if Chen Ning was making a mountain out of a molehill.
Until Chen Ning took out a report.
"From 2018 to 2020, 120,000 children and adolescents in my country were diagnosed with cancer, and nearly 60 percent of them had solid tumors."
"Solid tumors refer to tumors that have a shape and can be felt through clinical examinations such as ultrasound and X-rays. Many of them are rare diseases. In our common understanding, cancer usually affects the elderly, but nowadays, more and more young and middle-aged people are getting cancer, and even the cancer rate in children is increasing!"
"Look at this photo. This little girl is only eight years old. She was diagnosed with hepatitis because she frequently ate a snack containing sodium benzoate. In less than two years, it developed into liver cancer. The only treatment is a liver transplant! But how many families in our country can afford the cost of a liver transplant? Vice Mayor Zhang, for the sake of our people's health, we must carefully consider this standard!"
At this point, Zhang Zhiyuan fell completely silent, clutching the photo of the sick child tightly, his body trembling uncontrollably. Finally, tears welled up in his eyes.
Chen Ning was taken aback. "Vice Mayor Zhang, what's wrong?"
Zhang Zhiyuan took a deep breath, raised his head, and with a sorrowful expression, said something that shocked Chen Ning to no end.
"My daughter has liver disease and is currently undergoing chemotherapy. The only way for her to survive is a liver transplant!"
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