Chapter 472: The Debate

Ai Beibei sneered at these words. “Minister, I’m not objecting to the care given to Liu Dalin before, and I also agree with the current training of barefoot doctors and the implementation of public medical care for employees. But does this have anything to do with what I’m talking about? Don’t beat around the bush. I’m just asking you one question: will you give this child the antibiotics brought from the original world or not? I know your difficulties, you can laugh at me for being sentimental, you can also laugh at me for being an unrealistic ‘universalist’! I came to you today because I am also a woman, a mother, and I have the natural maternal instinct of an ordinary woman! Every day I see this child’s mother being respectful to every one of us, rushing to help the workers clean the ward, striving to learn nursing knowledge, and patting the child’s back, all just to get the child a little more care and get better sooner! My heart aches! You have indeed always been a person who cares about human rights, but people change! But please, when you become a master who only pays attention to reports, summaries, and statistical charts, think carefully about why we came here! Although we have all thought about being aristocratic masters for generations, didn’t we transmigrate here to make the world a better possibility than the original world? I don’t agree with the goal of many people, which is to form a rigidly hierarchical class society in the future, relying on the poverty and ignorance of the lower class, and ruling with a few trifles, while we are at the top. If so, what is the purpose of our efforts! Today you are indifferent to the naturalized citizens, tomorrow you will be indifferent to the powerless elders! When you become a master, you will sooner or later be opposed by the angry lower class! Overthrown!”

After Ai Beibei said these words, her face was flushed from excitement, and she was panting heavily, frowning and glaring at Shi Niaoren. Shi Niaoren was at a loss. Standing behind his desk, he was awkwardly at a loss for words.

Just then, the door was pushed open again. Deng Bofang, the director of the Ministry of Health’s office and the head of the medical affairs department of Bairen General Hospital, came in with a smile on his face. Ignoring the awkward atmosphere, he greeted Shi and Ai as he walked in. He went straight to Minister Shi’s desk, found a document from the pile, and said to Shi Niaoren, “Minister, this is a regulation that was sent over many days ago, regarding the ‘three periods’ of health care for female employees: menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth, and lactation. It’s time to sign it!”

Shi Niaoren glared at Deng Bofang. “This again? Didn’t I say that when I have guests, you are not allowed to come in and ask for signatures!”

Deng Bofang said with a smile, “Minister, this thing was not easy to get done. Think about how much grief we have endured between the Planning Institute, the People’s Committee for Civil Affairs, the Committee for the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Natives, and the Women’s Federation! Yesterday, Du Wen came back from Jeju Island and came to the Ministry of Health to curse: she said that if you don’t sign this regulation, which is ‘full of the hypocritical nature of the ruling class,’ she, as the lead unit, will have the formulation of this regulation cut and redone. We can’t suffer twice and be punished twice!”

Shi Niaoren knew that this regulation, originally drafted by the Women’s Federation, had been tossed around for more than half a year before it was finalized. Because the “three periods” of health care involved the issue of labor efficiency, and the original draft was a complete copy of the system of the old world, it was fiercely opposed by several departments, including the Planning Institute and the General Manufacturing Supervision Department. If it were to be implemented in this way, the annual available working hours of female employees would shrink, which would be a huge number for the industrial and mining industries and government agencies that were currently severely lacking in labor, especially skilled labor.

Moreover, the Planning Institute had other concerns: among the large number of female immigrants they had imported, the proportion of women of childbearing age was very high. They could quickly alleviate the current situation in Lingao and other places where there were more men than women and it was difficult to start a family. But in this way, a larger baby boom would soon appear. A large number of female employees would be concentrated in pregnancy and lactation, which would have a great impact on productivity. Therefore, the Planning Institute hoped to minimize the negative impact as much as possible.

After several months of carousel-like consultations, debates, shouting matches, and private deals, it was finally finalized. Of course, all parties were not very satisfied. As the Ministry of Health, they were of course very much in favor of such a regulation, but on key issues such as whether it was necessary to take leave during menstruation, whether maternity leave was 42 days or 4 months, and how much labor a pregnant woman could bear, the Ministry of Health had to act as a “technical expert,” and thus was inevitably drawn into the vortex of factional struggles. All factions demanded that they provide “professional proof” that was beneficial to their side. Naturally, people from all factions also came to lobby and “do public relations.”

Shi Niaoren knew very well that the consequence of being hijacked by interest groups was that he would have to talk nonsense and be ridiculed as a “bricklayer,” so he refused all public relations and only gave a very cautious “purely academic” explanation of the physiological effects of the three periods on women—in other words, he said nothing at all.

The final regulation was largely in accordance with the opinions of the Planning Institute and the General Manufacturing Supervision Department, which led to Du Wen’s serious dissatisfaction. However, dissatisfaction was one thing, but she also understood the principle that a small step was a big step. As soon as she came back, she urged the Ministry of Health to co-sign it, and then go to the Senate for a vote.

Shi Niaoren took out his name seal from his pocket and stamped it, whispering, “Du Wen is making a fuss, Du Wen has been here for a long time…” He secretly glanced at Ai Beibei and swallowed his words. Then, while secretly looking at Ai Beibei out of the corner of his eye, Shi Niaoren said to Deng Bofang, “I haven’t been in the ministry for so long. Are there any other urgent documents? Hurry up and tell me, so as not to delay everyone’s business.”

“The inactivated and attenuated Japanese encephalitis vaccine from the Agricultural Committee’s biological laboratory has been successfully trial-produced. This is the report. The funding and material application report for the development plan of the polio vaccine; the compulsory immunization plan—this is the report. These reports involve more technical issues, so you can review them slowly. As for the scope, implementation method, and quota of public medical care, everyone has put in a lot of effort this week. We have done a lot of work with Wen Zong and several major elders, and have set up a major special project to tackle key problems. Now the Executive Committee has conveyed a spirit: before the conclusion on how the public medical care system will operate is reached, all diagnosis and treatment activities and clinical trials of new drugs that are conducive to the health care of the elders can be carried out in Bairen General Hospital or other hospitals where there are elder doctors, under the guidance of elder doctors. The expenses will be covered by the special funds of the General Office. Wen Zong and Xiao Zishan have both signed it, so you should sign it too.”

Shi Niaoren quickly flipped through the document, thinking that he had finally found a loophole. He hurriedly stamped his name seal on the signature line.

“This morning, it was sent from Ma Qianzhu’s side, regarding the establishment of a maternal and child health clinical center outside of Bairen General Hospital, mainly to treat non-employee naturalized citizens and their families, in order to cultivate the professional ability and experience of the medical and nursing team. The construction funds and operating expenses will be fully covered by the General Office, and the materials will be allocated by the Planning Institute. Wu Nanhai said that he is preparing to set up a mutual aid foundation among the commune members of the agricultural households, which can lend us some working capital without interest, and also promised to mobilize some naturalized citizens to participate in voluntary labor during the civil construction stage; the nuns that Wu Shimang sent to Bairen General Hospital for internship a while ago have agreed to lend them to us for another two years, so we have the manpower.”

Shi Niaoren didn’t even look at it and hurriedly stamped his name seal.

“This is a memorandum from the Ministry of Education and the Political Security Bureau: regarding the establishment of a long-term medical class system; and Fangcaodi is preparing to absorb progressive intellectual youth from the mainland to study, involving medical and nursing majors. Please take a look when you have time. Related to this, it is also a project in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce, involving foreign medical care, medical tourism, and the preparatory plan for the Guangzhou General Hospital. Please take a look when you have time.”

Shi Niaoren carefully read the document in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce, looked up at Deng Bofang, and said, “You’ve made progress. Although you still pile the sensitive issues at the end, you know to mark them with a pencil. General Manager Li has a lot of gold tickets, you little—”

“It’s all off-budget income for the ministry. The goat milk in the hospital cafeteria in the morning, the experimental animals, how much of it comes from here—” Deng Bofang said with a strange smile.

Shi Niaoren often spent the night at the unit and had gradually developed the habit of being able to eat experimental animals without having to watch for poison first. He could understand the meaning behind Deng Bofang’s words, so he put on a straight face, rolled the memorandum into a tube, and symbolically tapped Deng Bofang on the head. One of the by-products of the General Manufacturing Supervision Department’s research and development of springs was a large-sized iron clip, which was used as a medical record clip in the Ministry of Health. Deng Bofang was the only person in the Ministry of Health who made Shi Niaoren have the urge to smash him over the head with a medical record clip, and he was also an elder.

“I won’t approve the last document. I don’t know what kind of private goods you have in it. You little rascal, how many people are on the ministry’s payroll now? Last time, Wudaokou came to make things difficult for me, saying that the number of personnel in the Ministry of Health is second only to the powerful departments. Isn’t it you who did it behind my back?” Before Deng Bofang could open his mouth, Shi Niaoren gave him a dismissal order as he held the last document waiting to be reported. Deng Bofang smiled obsequiously and said “Yes, Minister” to Shi Niaoren. As he walked out with the approved documents, he made small talk with Ai Beibei in the air, leaving behind the words, “The General Office is implementing the living allowance for the elders who are on short-term business trips away from Bairen. The policy for those stationed abroad like He Ma has long been in place. If you want to get more benefits this month, you should sign it.”

Shi Niaoren stood up with his hands on the table. When he got up, he clenched his hands slightly. As he walked towards the office door, he said to the silent Ai Beibei, “I haven’t done my rounds this morning. Let’s go to the ward first. After I see that child, I’ll reconsider the medication. Although the level-one controlled drugs are all waiting to expire, the landlord’s family doesn’t have much surplus grain now—if we really use it all up, and there are consequences when the elders and their families need it, I can’t bear the responsibility. As for today’s matter, don’t come to me with it a second time within half a year.”

Ai Beibei apologized for her earlier outburst, and the two seemed to be on good terms again. On the way to the ward, walking through the familiar buildings, Shi Niaoren had mixed feelings.