Chapter 21 — The White Coat Oath

Six months after the training trip at the district hospital, the lower-level support program expanded to four other hospitals in the area, marking a success far beyond what Yen dared to dream of when she started. But with that expansion comes increasing budget pressure, putting the program at risk of being cut during the hospital's year-end financial review.

"I just received the notification," Associate Professor Truong said at the morning briefing, his voice much lower than usual, "The Finance department proposed to cut thirty percent of the budget for the downstream support program, citing the hospital's need to prioritize investing in upgrading equipment in the Diagnostic Imaging department next year."

Yen felt like there was a big rock weighing down on her chest when she heard that news. The program that she has worked hard to build, carrying both her enthusiasm and a part of her late father's memories, is now at risk of being significantly narrowed.

"I can't let that happen," Yen said, her voice filled with determination. "This program has just begun to make real changes. If we cut it now, all the efforts of lower-level hospitals in adapting to the new process will be wasted."

"I understand how you feel," Associate Professor Truong replied, his eyes full of understanding but unable to hide his worry. "But this is a systemic decision, related to balancing the entire chamber's budget. We need to prepare a truly convincing argument if we want to defend the program before the board."

Khoa, sitting next to Yen, held her hand tightly under the conference table, his eyes full of encouragement. "We have already convinced the council once, with the proposal to reform the duty regime. This time, I believe we can do it too, as long as we have enough data and specific evidence."

The whole group - Yen, Khoa, Nghia along with several other colleagues who participated in the program - immediately began collecting data to demonstrate the specific effectiveness of the downline support program over the past six months. Nghia spent the entire week analyzing data from the online platform, synthesizing data on the number of visits and the number of cases successfully treated thanks to the application of new processes at lower-level hospitals.

"Look here," Nghia presented in the preparation meeting, pointing to a comprehensive chart on the big screen, "the medical error rate at the five hospitals participating in the program has decreased by an average of twenty-five percent after just six months of application. This is a number that far exceeds our initial expectations."

"We should also emphasize the humanistic aspect," Yen added, her voice filled with enthusiasm. "Behind every statistic are specific lives saved, families who do not have to suffer the loss of loved ones because of delays in emergency care."

She decided to contact Dr. Son and several other colleagues at lower level hospitals directly, asking for permission to share a few specific stories about patients whose lives were saved thanks to the new process, as vivid evidence of the program's actual effectiveness, instead of just stopping at the dry numbers on the report.

Doctor Son enthusiastically agreed, sending Yen a short video recording sincere thanks from a patient's family whose life had just been saved in time thanks to the newly applied standardized case handover process. "Please feel free to use this video if necessary," he texted along with it. "I believe, the real story will be more convincing than any number."

The night before the important board meeting, Yen and Khoa stayed together at the hospital until late to complete the final presentation. The small conference room had only a flickering table lamp, two people sat next to each other, their minds tense but still full of determination.

"Are you worried?" Yen asked, looking up at Khoa after many hours of focusing on editing presentation slides.

"Yes," Khoa replied honestly, gently rubbing her shoulder reassuringly. "But I believe in what we've built, and I believe in you. If anyone can convince the council again, it's you."

"Let's do it together," Yen replied, smiling somewhat with relief at that encouragement. "No matter the result, I am proud of what we have tried together over the past time."

Near midnight, when the two were about to leave the hospital, Khoa suddenly stopped and pulled Yen into a tight hug in the middle of the quiet hallway. "No matter what the outcome tomorrow is," he whispered in her ear, "I'm still proud of you, of what you dared to stand up for, what you believe is right, since the first day we met."

Yen rested her head on his chest, clearly feeling that $1 heartbeat as a safe fulcrum amid the worries rolling in her heart. "Thank you, for always being by my side in every challenge, no matter how big or small."

The next morning, the board meeting took place in a much more tense atmosphere than the previous one. The head of the Finance Department, who once supported the project to reform the duty regime, this time proved much more cautious when having to balance many investments at the same time.

"I fully support the humanistic value of the program," he began, his voice full of consideration, "but the hospital also needs to invest in upgrading the Diagnostic Imaging department, which has been outdated for many years, directly affecting the quality of diagnosis of our own hospital. We cannot prioritize external support while there is still a shortage internally."

Yen stood up, took a deep breath to calm herself before starting her presentation. She opened with a short video recording the thanks of the patient's family at the district hospital, so that the whole hall could witness firsthand the real impact of the program on specific people, not just abstract numbers on reports.

When the video ended, the whole hall was silent for a moment, many eyes could not hide their emotions. Yen continued to present, combining both specific statistics that Nghia had compiled and emotional real-life stories, creating a presentation that was both logical and touched the listeners' hearts.

"We don't ask to keep the entire budget the same," Yen proposed, her voice full of tact and reality. "We are ready to propose a cost optimization plan, prioritize the most essential items, and seek additional funding from outside community health funds to reduce the budget burden on the hospital."

That proposal made the head of the Finance Department somewhat surprised by the flexibility and practicality of Yen's approach. "This is a much more reasonable direction than I initially feared," he admitted, his eyes gradually softening.

Khoa continued, presenting more specific plans for calling for funding, citing a few medical charity funds that had expressed preliminary interest in the program model after learning about it through articles reporting on the initial success. "We believe, with the existing reputation of the program, calling for additional outside resources is completely feasible in the near future."

After nearly an hour and a half of discussion, the board agreed to maintain the program with a nearly intact budget, with only a slight adjustment of ten percent instead of the originally proposed thirty percent, and encouraged the group to proactively seek additional external funding to ensure long-term sustainability.

"The children did very well," Associate Professor Truong told Yen and Khoa after the meeting ended, his face relaxing. "I'm really impressed by the way you two handled this difficult situation, both steadfastly protecting your core values and flexibly finding a satisfactory solution for all parties."

Leaving the meeting room, Yen breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like a huge burden had been lifted off her shoulders. "I don't think I could be that calm during the meeting," she said, holding Khoa's hand tightly. "But knowing you are always by my side supporting me, I feel much more confident."

"You did excellently," Khoa replied, gently squeezing her hand proudly. "I believe this will not be the last challenge we face, but I also believe we can always overcome it together, as long as we stand together."

That evening, the whole group gathered to celebrate at a familiar restaurant near the hospital. The atmosphere was light and happy compared to the stress of the past week of preparation. Nghia excitedly recounted his reaction as he watched the meeting from the hallway, unable to hide his excitement on behalf of the whole group.

"I stood outside and my heart was beating faster than when I was rescuing the patient," Nghia laughed, recounting vividly. "When I heard the head of the Finance Department nod in agreement, I almost screamed in the middle of the hospital hallway."

The whole group laughed loudly at that image, temporarily putting aside all tension to fully enjoy the joy of this small but meaningful victory. Minh Thu raised her glass, asking everyone to congratulate the arduous yet proud journey that the group had gone through together.

"Congratulations for a program that has proven its worth, not once but twice," Minh Thu said, her voice filled with sincerity. "And congratulations to the strong friendship and camaraderie that has helped us all overcome all challenges together."

Yen raised her glass, looking around at the familiar faces that had gone through so many ups and downs with her over the past year, filled with gratitude for the friendship, love and a common mission that they were all pursuing together with full dedication.