Director Wen met Qinghe in the hospital vestibule after the afternoon intake. He was a lean man with a silver clasp at his collar and a stack of ward reports in one hand. He read Qinghe’s referral note before greeting the group.
“You want to review the industrial ward’s treatment schedule,” he said. “Are you here to criticize the clinic?”
“I want to understand how patients are triaged and whether a poor measurement can lead to a faster referral,” Qinghe said. “Nurse Mei treated Han carefully. I have no complaint against her.”
Wen lowered the note. “The ward handles dozens of exposure cases each week. We cannot send every patient to the specialist. The lower-cost schedule keeps treatment available to workers who might otherwise avoid the hospital.”
Ning said, “Han’s reading was low, but his specialist appointment was four days away.”
“His first appointment was four days away,” Wen replied. “Mei found a cancellation and moved him to tomorrow.”
“That helps him,” Ning said. “It does not make the wait easy for everyone.”
“No,” Wen said. “The wait is a limit. We have one specialist and more cases than open hours.”
