“Auntie, don’t worry, just sit down and have a rest first, and you can speak slowly.” “Are you really taking the high blood pressure medicine? Think carefully, did you really take it this morning? Did you forget it?” You are pressing up to 190 now, the cerebrovascular can’t stand it, don’t forget to take medicine.”…
Every working day, Zhao Yajun, a family doctor in the Gaotang Branch of the Medical and Health Group of the Xiangshan Red Cross Taiwan Compatriot Hospital Outside the clinic, as usual, there are many folks waiting to see a doctor. 55-year-old Zhao Yajun is the only chief physician of the hospital, and the team has more than 1,000 contracted patients.
In the past 10 years, he has gained many loyal “fans” on the island. But when he first came, he was a “three nos” doctor – he couldn’t speak, he couldn’t see a doctor, and he couldn’t prescribe medicine.
“Three Wills” doctor
In May 2012, 45-year-old Zhao Yajun was introduced to work at the Gaotangdao Township Health Center in Xiangshan as a talent. At that time, he also had the opportunity to work in a large hospital. Why did he choose to be a family doctor in the island hospital? He said plainly: “In order for me to stay, the dean gave me his dormitory at that time. I thought that there is no shortage of doctors in large hospitals, but islands may need me more.”
However, soon, Zhao Yajun faced a series of blows, and his family was left out in the cold.
The language barrier is a roadblock. Most of the local people speak dialects, especially the elderly. Language barrier, naturally unable to see a doctor. “In the beginning, I asked the patient what was uncomfortable. The old lady clutched her stomach and said, ‘Auuuuu’. I was so anxious, why didn’t I say where the pain was. Later I learned that ‘Auuu’ means pain.”
Zhao Yajun can accept being called a “doctor who can’t speak”, but what’s more troublesome is that he is called a doctor who can’t see a doctor or prescribe medicine.
Before coming to Ningbo, Zhao Yajun was the Party branch secretary and deputy chief physician of the internal medicine department of Heilongjiang Mishan 855 Farm Hospital. However, when they arrived in Gaotang, many patients came to the outpatient clinic because they had dislocated their hands, had fishbone stuck in their throats, suffered from hemorrhoids, and were bitten by insects… Zhao Yajun found that he “really doesn’t know how to see a doctor”.
Many elderly patients in the area asked, “Doctor, give me a bottle of amino acids” and “Doctor, I want a nutritional injection”, Zhao Yajun explained, “There is no need for this injection, it is not symptomatic”. However, the other party thought that “you can’t prescribe such a simple medicine”!
Bringing a “secret weapon” to the doctor
At the most difficult time, Zhao Yajun also had the idea of returning to the Northeast, but he didn’t want to give up just like that.
He doesn’t speak Ningbo dialect, so he asked his fellow villagers in the northeast of Ningbo to prepare him a “secret weapon” – a comparison table between Mandarin and dialects, and also used pinyin to make dialect phonetic symbols. He also chatted with local colleagues and learned from dialect programs… After 3 months, he did not need a “secret weapon” to successfully go to the clinic.
“Can’t see a doctor”, he signed up for GP training. Every weekend, four or five hours round trip to Ningbo city for classes. After 3 years, get a general practitioner license. Zhao Yajun said with a hearty smile: “Now, pulling fishbone, treating dislocation, and looking at hemorrhoids are all fine.”
Only “can’t prescribe medicine”, Zhao Yajun has his own perseverance. “If it’s not symptomatic or necessary, I won’t give nutritional injections easily.”
The friendship between “Red Beauty” and “Northeast Rice”
On the day of the interview, 67-year-old Master Zhu Come for a follow-up. He is a “hard-core fan” of Zhao Yajun, and he often recommends to his relatives and friends “go to the Northeast doctor when you see a doctor”.
There is a reason why Master Zhu is convinced of Zhao Yajun. Six years ago, Master Zhu was troubled by a cough, and when he coughed, he would even curl up. I have been to a lot of hospitals, seen a lot of doctors, and taken a lot of medicine. At most, it is only temporary relief.
For the first time, he came to Zhao Yajun for cough medicine, but Zhao Yajun did not prescribe the medicine directly.
After listening carefully to Master Zhu with a stethoscope, Zhao Yajun found that there was an obvious heart murmur, and suggested that Master Zhu have a heart ultrasound. The cough may be caused by a heart problem.
Master Zhu was not convinced at first that the heart could be related to coughing? But later, Master Zhu was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, manifested as cardiogenic asthma. After taking the right medicine, the symptoms improved significantly.
Master Liu has always thanked Zhao Yajun for his “life-saving grace”. At that time, when Master Liu was sent, he was already in shock and his blood pressure was close to zero. It stands to reason that it should be transferred to a higher-level hospital as soon as possible, but the journey is quite long. Zhao Yajun acted decisively, quickly rehydrating, boosting blood pressure, taking epinephrine, desensitizing… Master Liu was able to turn the corner.
Over time, many villagers have become friends with Zhao Yajun. When Master Zhu sometimes comes to the clinic, he will bring a few “red beauties” grown at home, and sometimes a handful of vegetables.
Zhao Yajun found that being a doctor at the grassroots level also has skills. “If the patient brings some local products and refuses bluntly, the other party will be unhappy. It is better to accept it first, and then I will give it to them when the northeast rice is sent from my hometown. There are contacts, and the relationship is cordial and natural.”
< p> Ningbo Evening News reporter Wang Ying Sun Meixing
Correspondent Chai Haiyan Li Fangfang