[Chinese Dream · Practitioner]
Hou Lifeng, the "big doctor" of the "mini" clinic, "luxury" for 20 years
Recently, during the high incidence season of influenza, outpatient clinics in hospitals all over the country are full of people, as is the case in Dr. Hou's "mini" clinic. These days, it is often from 8 a.m. to more than 8 p.m.
This doctor Hou, whose full name is Hou Lifeng, is an ordinary village doctor in Yiershi Town, Arshan City, Inner Mongolia.
"Doctor Hou, I know, he is very famous here. Although his clinic is more than 20 kilometers away from Arshan City, let alone the town, even people in the city often come to see him. Doctor Hou is very good. Sometimes he doesn't bring enough money to pay for medicine. Doctor Hou often says he will talk about it next time, but he has forgotten these things..." As soon as Hou Lifeng was mentioned, the villagers could not help opening the chatterbox and full of praise.
Hou Lifeng checked Uncle Zhu with his portable ECG. Photographed by Niu Hongchao, Red Cross Foundation of China
Last August, Hou Lifeng's new clinic, the Red Cross Charity Health Station, was officially established. His old clinic was several hundred meters away from here. It was a few old bungalows. On the side of the road, the terrain was low-lying. Entering the old clinic, three steps were required to go down. Seeing, taking medicine, infusion and eating and lodging were all together. It was easy to get water in case of heavy rain, so it was impossible to continue working and living. Just in time for the reconstruction of shantytowns, we moved to a spacious and bright new consulting room, which also provides a better medical environment for patients.
In addition to the consulting room, the new site also has a "secret" basement, which is where Hou Lifeng massages, cupping and packs medicine for patients. In order to facilitate the patients to drink Chinese medicine, he bought the equipment by himself. He only charged the patients one yuan each time he cooked the medicine. He could not earn back the money for the equipment by relying on this yuan. But for Hou Lifeng, it doesn't matter. As long as it is convenient for the patients, it is the greatest relief.
There is a communication base station in Taiping Ridge, about 80 kilometers east of Ilshi Town. Employees usually work for 10 days and go down the mountain to rest. Hou Lifeng carries a medicine box to visit employees on duty. Photographed by Niu Hongchao, Red Cross Foundation of China
"I heard that you graduated from Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. You could have been a doctor in a good hospital in a big city, right? How respectable! Why should you stay here?" Facing a reporter's question, Hou Lifeng recalled his unforgettable experience in Alshan in early 1997, "I came here by chance and saw that the local people had to go more than 300 kilometers to get medical treatment. It was very inconvenient. At that time, I thought I would come here after graduation. At least it would be more convenient for them to see doctors."
Time passed quickly, 22 years passed in a flash. Some patients come to the clinic to see a doctor are difficult, and many drugs have to be charged on credit. Although Hou Lifeng is not rich himself, he can't bear to collect money from people in difficulty, and will still reduce or exempt medical fees for them. During this period, the Red Cross Foundation of China also provided a lot of assistance funds, but Hou Lifeng also could not save any money, often earned a little, but also gave it away. "Up to now, there have been at least 200000 free fees and cash assistance for patients," Hou Lifeng said with a smile.
Hou Lifeng and colleagues. Photographed by Niu Hongchao, Red Cross Foundation of China
In 2018, Dr. Hou was awarded the title of "Good Doctor of the People of Arshan City" by the Health and Family Planning Bureau of Arshan City last year, and was elected as a deputy to the National People's Congress of Arshan City. It was this recognition that inspired him to "keep his original intention in mind and forge ahead".
Be generous to patients and guilty to wives. Wang Xiuying is Hou Lifeng's lover. She is a nurse and a licensed pharmacist. The couple lived hard together in the small consulting room for many years and suffered a lot. Hou Lifeng loved his wife, and Wang Xiuying never blamed her husband. Even though Hou Lifeng was always so "extravagant", she said with great support, "I am also a doctor, and doctors are kind-hearted!" (Liu Shangjun, a reporter from China Youth Network)
