As the most advanced and newest hospital department, the Comprehensive Diagnosis Center is also the department with the lowest operating cost and the worst efficiency among all departments in the entire four hospitals.

It is easy to understand the low operating cost, after all, Zhou Xiufang Comprehensive Diagnosis Center has not spent a penny of additional funds from the four hospitals since its establishment. After Takeda Pharmaceutical completed all the investments, in addition to paying staff salaries and all water and electricity expenses, the four hospitals basically did not add input costs to it.

The absence of burdens means that there is no pressure to generate revenue during the operation of the entire comprehensive diagnostic center. Unlike other departments, doctors working in the Polydiagnostic Center are not too poorly paid.

Dr. Pascal and Dr. Brunn are entitled to a corresponding talent introduction program subsidy, while the rest of the physicians are entitled to the standard salary and average performance of their original department. In the Polydiagnostic Centre, I get another share of my income.

The doctors in the second diagnosis group were relatively miserable, they gave up their original positions and income in Yunhe, and followed Professor Zhang to work in Ningyuan thousands of miles away. But in terms of income structure, they have to pay one less than the doctors in the first diagnostic group. Fortunately, Takeda promised to pay another general subsidy for everyone, which can be regarded as allowing the doctors of the second diagnosis group to continue to work in Ningyuan with peace of mind.

The doctors at the comprehensive diagnostic center do not have the pressure of business volume and do not have any pressure to generate income. The working environment of the comprehensive diagnostic center is good, which is a bit excessive...... In this environment, doctors are also more energetic than other departments.

After Zhang Junyi left the ICU, he came to the comprehensive diagnosis center to continue his hospitalization, which also had enough guarantees for his safety.

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Of course, Liu Tangchun's careful thinking can't be hidden from the doctors in the comprehensive diagnosis center. However, this kind of thinking did not cause any dissatisfaction - in order to better complete the task given by Comrade Liu, both treatment groups decided to send the patients at hand to other departments as soon as possible, or simply let them be discharged. Anyway, continuing to be hospitalized will not have much effect on their condition.

The only exception is probably Cao Zhiquan, who was diagnosed with CJD.

Cao Zhiquan has been hospitalized in the fourth hospital for two days, and his condition shows no signs of improving, and it is still deteriorating.

After falling into immobile silence, Cao Zhiquan has never said a word again. He just lay motionless on the hospital bed with his eyes half-open.

After losing the ability to feed independently, Cao Zhiquan's life was maintained by a nasogastric tube. In general, this behavior should be carried out by family members. But Cao Zhiquan's son stopped his mother from coming to take care of his father.

With tears in his eyes, he knelt in front of the ward door with a "poof". With his arms outstretched, he blocked the door to the ward.

Cao Zhiquan's wife roared angrily at her son, and she used a dialect that Sun Lien did not understand. But that look...... As long as anyone who is not blind can see that she is really angry and anxious.

Cao Zhiquan's son lowered his head and let his anxious mother push and shove on him, not even dodging the slap. He just lowered his head and said, "Dad, this disease is hopeless, and the doctor said that this disease is contagious...... I'm going to have no father, so I can't fill you in too!"

This resolute attitude seemed to convince his mother in the end, and after her mother covered her face and left the corridor crying, Xiao Cao silently stood up from the ground. He didn't rub his red and swollen face first, but glanced into the ward with some distress. Cao Zhiquan, who was lying on the hospital bed, was still motionless, looking at the ceiling with his eyes half-open.

After a few seconds, after making sure that his father was not moving, Xiao Cao twisted his head back again. Then his face was bought into the crook of his arm, and he let out a very low cry of suppressed pain.

Sun Lien stood in the distance, not knowing what he should do for a while. According to the original plan, he should have come over to talk to Xiao Cao about Cao Zhiquan's discharge from the hospital - continue to be hospitalized in the comprehensive diagnosis center? There will be no improvement in Cao Zhiquan's condition. Will he inevitably slowly slide into the abyss of death? No one can change this fact. Even Sun Lien, who has a plug-in, has no way to save him.

But in this case...... Asking someone to give up treatment seems to be a bit too unkind – even a little too cruel.

Just when Sun Lien was about to leave the scene? When you go to the office to hide first? Xiao Cao, who was crying, suddenly stopped. He saw Sun Lien's figure, and then wiped his eyes twice? Then he hurried over.

"Dr. Sun, I'...... I have something to tell you. ”

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In a small conference room? Sun Lien poured Xiao Cao a cup of hot water. And sat down next to him? Be prepared to wait for him to speak. No matter what he wants to say, let it calm down so that he can try to avoid irrational actions that he may regret later.

Before Xiao Cao opened his mouth to speak, Sun Lien could probably guess what he wanted to say. This young man doesn't look very old, though? But the brain is still clear. He stopped his mother from taking care of his father? This is basically the equivalent of directly telling the doctors that they are ready to give up.

As a doctor, Sun Lien is not too willing for his patients' families to give up early. But as a son of man, Sun Lien knows very well how torturous it is to make such a decision. The "filial piety" in traditional culture, the deep feelings with parents in ordinary times, and even the gossip between neighbors and relatives...... There are so many reasons to "coerce" a child to choose to continue treatment. Someone else is just a matter of lip service? But it can force one or even several families to consume all their energy and money.

With the current level of science and technology and medical ability, doctors have no way to deal with Cao Zhiquan's condition. Antibiotics and a vibrating coat and aspirator may also be used to prevent pneumonia caused by the inability to cough and pass sputum. Intensive care often rolls over? It can also prevent the occurrence of pressure ulcers. But...... Patients with CJD cannot be treated, let alone cured. He was different from those patients who were in a vegetative state - they still had a slight chance to come to their senses. And Cao Zhiquan ...... His future is only dark.

He didn't stand a chance.

"I'd like to ask...... My dad is sick ......," Xiao Cao was silent for a long time and then suddenly asked, "This disease is contagious, right?"

"Yes. Sun Lien nodded? This conversation has happened before.

"If you want to take him home, how will you deal with the aftermath? "I've never experienced this before? How many friends did you ask? They don't know much either...... "he added, "our family is a minority, and according to custom, they have to be buried." But my dad is sick...... Can't we bury them? Do we have a rule?"

Sun Lien was a little surprised, he really didn't know that Cao Zhiquan was actually an ethnic minority. Due to differences in ethnic customs and religion, cremation is not mandatory for ethnic minorities. This is different from the average patient.

However, religious differences and ethnic habits are ...... in the face of infectious diseases It seems very unnecessary. CJD is contagious and the pathogen is very difficult to kill. For prion particles to become infectious, they need to be sterilized at a temperature of 130 degrees Celsius for at least two and a half hours. Ordinary burials do not guarantee that infectious diseases will be cut off here.

"You can't be buried. "Life is the greatest political correctness. While it may offend someone else's habits, it's always easier to accept an offense than someone else's death. "We've escalated the case to the CDC, and as per the general process, the patient ...... After death, a special team will come to collect and transfer the body. After the cremation is completed, the ashes will be handed over to the family. ”

Sun Lien tried his best to speak softly, but it could be seen that the results of his efforts were not obvious. Xiao Cao lowered his head again, he was trying to suppress his cry. It was a long time before he raised his head with red eyes.

"If you can't bury it, it might be a bit of a hassle back home. He took a deep breath and asked, "Can I donate my father's body?"

Sun Lien glanced at Xiao Cao in front of him with some sympathy, and then shook his head regretfully. "On behalf of our hospital and all the doctors, I would like to salute you. It was an amazing decision...... Unfortunately, we are unable to accept donated bodies from patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease – prion particles cannot be inactivated by conventional means, which means that your father's remains will still be highly transmissible. Such a body is of no use for medical research and education. There are currently no institutions in the country that can receive and study the remains of patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease...... The CDC may take a sample of some brain tissue, but that's the best way to do it. ”

"Then ...... So be it. Xiao Cao stood up in despair, rubbed his red eyes, and then sat down again. "Dr. Sun, there's one more thing ......"

"I want to ...... Give up all treatment for my dad. But the family can't let him go back now...... I was worried that my mom might be infected. He looked at Sun Lien with some embarrassment and asked, "Can you ...... Can you let him spend the last few days here?" he added anxiously, "I can still afford to stay in the hospital......

"Yes. Sun Lien sighed, he handed over a piece of paper, and nodded with some sympathy, "I can do the rest of the things to help you do as much as possible." If you give up treatment, I have a consent form here, and you can sign your name. ”

After two years in the Fourth Hospital, Sun Lien did not stop the patient's family from giving up treatment for the first time. He looked at Xiao Cao's appearance of signing while crying, and his heart was full of helplessness.

Perhaps sometimes, giving up treatment is also a sign of respect for life.