Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 158

Five Vital Signs-Episode 158

158. The Law of the Republic of Korea

“Uh…!”

Lee Chan-hee’s face, previously serious, now showed embarrassment. Park Joo-dang had made an unexpected move.

“No, Grandpa, why are you doing this?”

Park Joo-dang, who had been lying on the bed, was now getting up to leave.

“I’m not getting a test!”

“Grandpa, please sit down first.”

Lee Chan-hee had expected this. Whenever tests were mentioned, Park Joo-dang habitually shouted, “I won’t do it.”

Most patients followed doctors’ instructions, but some didn’t.

Elderly patients like Park Joo-dang, who felt fine, often disregarded the doctor’s advice. These situations were always difficult.

“You need to get a test.”

“What test? I know my body best. No way!”

As expected, he wouldn’t listen to Lee Chan-hee.

You might wonder, ‘How can he not listen to the doctor?’ but many patients are like that.

“Grandpa, if you bleed internally, you could die.”

“What bleeding! Look at me. I’m perfectly fine.”

“Ha!”

Since there were no visible external injuries, persuading him was even harder.

“No need to make a fuss. My stomach just hurts a little. Just give me some medicine quickly.”

“Grandpa!”

Clatter-

As Lee Chan-hee and his grandfather’s argument intensified, the curtain suddenly flew open.

“Dr. Lee, are you okay?”

“Doctor, I told him to come.”

The nurse, hearing the loud voices, thought a fight was breaking out and called Jang Deuk-chil.

“It’s okay. Grandpa, please stay here for a moment. Doctor, please take a look at Grandpa.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Hey, you young doc? Bring medicine when you come.”

Lee Chan-hee entrusted Park Joo-dang to the nurse and briefly left the bedside.

“Ha! What a stubborn old man.”

Lee Chan-hee shook his head and headed to the nurse’s station. He couldn’t let Park Joo-dang leave like this.

First, Tae-kyung would scold him. More importantly, Park Joo-dang had abdominal pain.

Even from a bicycle accident, abdominal pain after drunk driving could indicate internal organ damage. Even if he refused the test, he couldn’t be discharged.

A doctor must respect the patient’s wishes. Coercive medical treatment is prohibited. However, if serious damage is suspected, the patient cannot be discharged, no matter how much they want to.

That was the law of the Republic of Korea.

“Nurse, is Park Joo-dang’s guardian’s phone number registered?”

“Yes, his daughter’s number is there. Shall I tell you?”

“Yes, please tell me.”

Lee Chan-hee, having received the number, went outside the emergency room to make a call.

-Hello.

“I’m sorry for calling so late. This is the hospital. Are you Park Joo-dang’s daughter?”

-Ah, yes, hello.

Park Joo-dang’s daughter didn’t seem surprised, as if she often heard from the hospital.

-I heard you have a hard time because of my father. I’m sorry. Is my father in the hospital right now?

“Yes, he had an accident while riding a bicycle after drinking, and he needs a test, but he keeps refusing. Could you persuade him? I’ll switch you over now.”

-Just a moment. If it’s an accident, is he badly hurt?

“First, there are no visible external injuries. However, there is concern about damage to his abdomen, so tests and hospitalization are essential. Please.”

-I’ll call my father’s cell phone right away. Please take good care of my father.

“Yes, don’t worry.”

Lee Chan-hee hung up and immediately returned to the emergency room.

“It’s nothing like that. Well. Dad’s fine. He says he’s okay.”

As Lee Chan-hee approached the bed, he could hear a phone call.

“Doesn’t anything hurt? Okay, if anything feels strange, go to the hospital right away. Don’t tell your husband for nothing.”

Park Joo-dang, who had stubbornly resisted, was now talking to his daughter in the most docile way.

“Okay. What do you mean come? Don’t come. Eat well. I’ll call you.”

Clatter-

Five minutes later, the call ended, and Lee Chan-hee approached the bed.

“I’m sorry.”

Park Joo-dang apologized as soon as he saw Lee Chan-hee.

“I’m sorry for being stubborn. It’s not that, it’s just that getting a test in the emergency room costs a lot of money. That’s why…”

The reason Park Joo-dang was horrified by the test and tried to leave was because he felt sorry for his daughter.

His daughter was already worried about her father, who was alone, and he didn’t want to create more financial burdens for her.

Besides, his kind son-in-law had been scammed, so his daughter’s family wasn’t in a good situation right now.

“My daughter is having a hard time right now. I don’t want to be a burden to her for nothing…”

“But you have to get it. Something serious could happen.”

He understood Park Joo-dang’s situation, but he couldn’t let him leave the hospital.

“If you’re thinking about your daughter, Grandpa, get more tests. Okay?”

“…Okay, I will.”

“Really?”

“But Dr. Lee? I’m really sorry, but can you do me a favor?”

“A favor?”

“I’ll be hospitalized, so can you make it a little cheaper? I think Kim from the laundromat said that tests after hospitalization are a little cheaper…”

In the end, money was the problem.

“Can’t you do that for me? I’m a little burdened to get tested in the emergency room. I’m begging you.”

Park Joo-dang’s tone was gentle, but his determination not to get tested in the emergency room was still clear.

Lee Chan-hee was in a difficult situation.

In these cases, every minute is precious. But the patient was strongly requesting hospitalization first, so he was confused.

“Grandpa, just a moment.”

Lee Chan-hee left the bed and called his daughter, the guardian, again.

“Hello, guardian, this is the hospital. Your father said he would get the test, but he wants to go through the hospitalization process first.”

-Is there a problem with that?

“There may be delays in the hospitalization process, and an emergency situation may arise. Your father is so stubborn. I’m sorry, but could you persuade him about this too?”

-Um, Doctor, I’m really sorry, but… Is there a big price difference?

When the topic of money came up, the daughter’s voice seemed to get a little softer.

“I’m not an employee of the accounting department, so I don’t know. Shall I find out now?”

-No. Just do as my father wants this time.

“Yes? But it would be better to get the test right away.”

-Doctor, I’m sorry, but I have circumstances that prevent me from talking for long. We’ll take it into account even if an emergency situation arises. So please do as my father wants.”

“Yes, I understand. Then I’ll call you later before the test and explain it to you.”

-Yes, thank you.

Lee Chan-hee hung up and sighed.

“Ha! What is money…”

Everything is a matter of money.

Anyway, it was a relief that the patient, who said he would leave the hospital, was at least being hospitalized. Still, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

Lee Chan-hee returned to the bed and explained to Park Joo-dang.

“Grandpa, then we’ll proceed with the test after you’re hospitalized first.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Here, the nurse will guide you.”

“I’ll guide you to the ward.”

Park Joo-dang left the emergency room with the nurse to go to the ward.

He had been hospitalized, but there was still a long way to go. In this case, it could be an hour or two late to go through the hospitalization process and proceed with the test.

“It’s not that long, so it’ll be okay…”

“Dr. Lee, new patient?”

“Yes, I’m going.”

Lee Chan-hee thought everything would be fine and moved to see another patient.

* * *

Clang-

Tae-kyung, who had finished an emergency surgery and went to the bathroom, headed to the medical office.

“Sunbae [senior colleague]? Come quickly.”

Lee Ui-jin, who had arrived earlier, said, unfolding a hamburger wrapper on the desk.

“Wow! I don’t even know how time went by today.”

There were many scheduled patients and a series of emergency surgeries today, so Tae-kyung was out of his mind.

“I know. I feel like I worked today without any sense of time.”

“But what’s with the hamburger?”

“Our pretty Dr. Lee and Dr. Choi treated us to a late-night snack.”

“I was a little hungry anyway, so that’s good. Dr. Im?”

“Dr. Soo said she’s not hungry because she overate at dinner. Mmm! This is crazy. Sunbae, try it quickly.”

Ui-jin bit into the hamburger with her mouth full, narrowing her eyebrows in satisfaction.

“Is it that delicious?”

“Yes, I wanted to eat this Black Squid Burger. It’s really delicious.”

“Ui-jin, you sure know how to eat deliciously.”

“It’s good to eat well. I’m always serious about eating.”

“Dr. Jung? I have something to tell you…”

“I know what you’re going to say.”

Ui-jin had been guessing what Tae-kyung, who had been saying he had something to say for several days, was going to say.

It was probably a rejection of her confession.

She had suddenly confessed her feelings at the baseball stadium and asked him to tell her in a month, but even after a month, Tae-kyung hadn’t said anything.

Saying it while dragging out the time like this was probably a definite rejection.

“You can just say it comfortably.”

She still had good feelings for Tae-kyung, but she didn’t want to make him feel burdened, so she decided to respect Tae-kyung’s wishes.

“What do you mean say it comfortably?”

“That day I went to the baseball stadium. You’re going to answer what I said that day, right?”

“What are you talking about?”

“…!”

Ui-jin, who had been anticipating a rejection, felt her face turning red with embarrassment.

“Then what were you going to say?”

She quickly changed the subject to hide the embarrassment.

“I was going to ask you what you think about hiring another anesthesiologist?”

“Anesthesiologist?”

“Yeah.”

Tae-kyung had been thinking about hiring an anesthesiologist for a while.

Ui-jin was in charge of surgeries in the surgical department as well as surgeries in other departments. It must have been difficult to do it all alone.

If there was one more anesthesiologist, they could secure operating rooms on both sides in urgent emergency situations.

Above all, the hospital’s profits had stabilized, so it was feasible to hire another doctor.

“Of course, I like it.”

It wasn’t like her salary was decreasing, and her workload was decreasing, so there was no reason for Ui-jin to refuse. Rather, it was something to welcome.

“But will there be anyone who wants to come to our hospital? It’s not easy to find people these days.”

“I’ll ask around and post it on medical job search sites.”

“I’ll be able to see outpatients more comfortably than now?”

“That’s why I’m asking, would you like to seriously consider doing OBGYN (Obstetrics and Gynecology) treatment formally?”

Until now, Ui-jin occasionally saw obstetrics and gynecology patients who came to the emergency room.

Tae-kyung felt it was a waste for his talented junior, who was capable as an anesthesiologist as well as an obstetrician and gynecologist, to bury her talent.

“I think it would be okay to focus on treatment for only one or two days a week.”

“Sunbae, can I seriously think about this issue?”

Ui-jin, who was thinking about something, answered carefully.

“Of course. There’s no rush, so think about it enough. Since it’s a job of treating people, accept it if you really think you can do it, and don’t do it if you can’t. That’s right.”

Since it was a matter of dealing with people’s lives, he didn’t want Ui-jin to be pushed into treatment.

“Yes, I’ll think carefully and tell you.”

“But what were you going to say earlier…”

Just as Tae-kyung was about to bring up that issue when Ui-jin was relieved.

-Code Blue~ Code Blue Surgical Ward.

The in-house broadcast announcing the patient’s urgency echoed in the medical office.

-Code Blue~ Code Blue Surgical Ward.