Although the slogan “Prevention First” had been circulated for years, in practice, there were only two accomplishments to show for it: controlling venereal diseases and administering smallpox vaccines. The rest of the preventive work? Well, to put it mildly, it was a mess even in Director Wang’s mind.

Why did he keep pushing everyone so hard? It was simply because he, as a leader, didn’t have any better ideas either. His superiors pressed him, and in turn, he had no choice but to press his subordinates.

Now, as he looked at Gao Yuan, he found himself somewhat stunned. In his mind, he couldn’t help but wonder, “How is this man so confident?”

Li Runyu continued to elevate Gao-Yuan: “All the doctors in our county should learn from Doctor Gao. He’s incredibly capable, achieving things the rest of us can’t. When he says he’ll unite people, he unites them; when he promises support, he delivers it. This preventive work may be beyond us, but he can definitely handle it.”

Doctor Yanqiao, the seasoned traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, also had his own reasons to dislike Gao-Yuan and added, “Indeed, while I, Yan, have lived over seventy years, my skills are nowhere near Doctor Gao’s. I could wrack my brain over this prevention work and still find no solutions, but Doctor Gao is different. He’s talented; he’s sure to handle it well.”

Dean Li, observing the exchanges and knowing that the county hospital was on relatively good terms with Gao-Yuan, chimed in to soften things: “Hey, we shouldn’t put it that way. Preventive work is new to all of us, including Doctor Gao. He might not necessarily be able to manage it either.”

Li Runyu, however, retorted, “That’s not the point. The reason we fail at it is our lack of enthusiasm. If Doctor Gao doesn’t manage it, wouldn’t that mean he’s lacking the commitment to serve the people?”

Dean Li, shut down by that, kept silent.

“Are you two done with your little duet?” Director Wang couldn’t listen any longer.

Gao-Yuan, however, said calmly, “Director, since they seem so eager to hear my thoughts, I’ll say a few words to inspire discussion and share some of my shallow insights. I believe that these two esteemed senior doctors, with their wealth of experience, can certainly improve upon my suggestions.”

Director Wang looked at Gao-Yuan puzzled.

Gao-Yuan gave him a reassuring nod.

Director Wang then said, "Well, go ahead. Don’t hold back. We’re all new to epidemic prevention, and we can only make fewer mistakes in practice by boldly voicing ideas and engaging in discussion.”

Director Wang was concerned that Gao-Yuan’s suggestions might be criticised, so he subtly lent him his support.

Gao-Yuan looked around at everyone.

Li Runyu and Yanqiao exchanged a glance, smirking. They trusted Gao-Yuan’s medical prowess but were sceptical about his expertise in disease prevention. Who in the county knew about that? None of them had ever studied or researched it!

They wouldn’t even need to look for faults deliberately.

Gao-Yuan began, “The first National Health Work Conference of New China set forth three core principles: ‘Prevention First,’ ‘Unity of Chinese and Western Medicine,’ and ‘Focusing on Workers, Farmers, and Soldiers.’ The prioritisation of prevention underscores its importance.”

“Yet we’ve consistently fallen short, addressing infectious disease control only when the situation becomes critical. Our medical resources are limited, so we often end up struggling.”

“Traditional Chinese medicine has long held that ‘the highest form of healing is to prevent illness,’ a concept closely aligned with the preventive-first approach, but it’s not limited to treating a single person’s illness. Rather, it aims to prevent illness across the entire population.”

Director Wang found himself taken aback by Gao-Yuan’s eloquence.

Li Runyu and Yanqiao smirked quietly. Gao-Yuan had been going on and on without hitting the main points, spouting what they saw as empty rhetoric. They grew more certain that he was out of his depth.

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“Er…” At this point, Gao-Yuan hesitated.

Director Wang was startled, looking at him with curiosity.

Yanqiao nearly burst out laughing.

Li Runyu no longer hid his amusement and asked, “Doctor Gao, did you forget what you were going to say, or are you just not sure of what you’re talking about? Surely it’s not due to a lack of enthusiasm, is it?”

Gao-Yuan replied, “Apologies. I’ve been a bit forgetful lately.”

Yanqiao jumped in, “I thought so. Doctor Gao must have forgotten. How could he not know?”

Director Wang’s face darkened.

Gao-Yuan turned to his bag, took out a notebook, opened it, and said, “A poor memory is no match for a pen. I’ve written it all down.”

“Hm?” Both Yanqiao and Li Runyu were taken aback.

Even Director Wang was dumbfounded. He hadn’t invited Gao-Yuan to the meeting; he’d just happened to run into him and ask him along. How did he even have a notebook ready? Had he come prepared?

Flipping through his notes, Gao-Yuan said, “First, we need to do a good job in publicity. We must translate policies into community actions, ensuring the broad public understands, masters, and actively participates in health prevention measures. It’s essential that people grasp the importance and necessity of health prevention work.”

“Health campaigns should be seasonal and relevant, with continuous and repetitive publicity. We should use clear and engaging formats that the public can relate to. In addition to verbal explanations and written health slogans, we could use blackboard notices, posters, and hygiene classes.”

“We should also mobilise our county’s cultural workers, encouraging them to create operas, cross-talk, storytelling, songs, and other programmes that promote hygiene. During their rural tours, they can repeatedly showcase these to instill preventive health measures deeply within the community.”

Director Wang was momentarily stunned, then hastily picked up his pen to take notes.

Li Runyu and Yanqiao’s eyes widened—Doctor Gao was skilled not only in treating patients but also in public relations?

Dean Li, equally astounded, reminded himself that he was the head of the Epidemic Prevention Station, yet even he had no idea how to proceed.

Turning the page, Gao-Yuan continued, “Second, we need reliance. Health work is community work, and we must integrate professional teams with the people’s movement. We need to fully mobilise the people to carry out a patriotic health campaign focused on eliminating disease hazards.”

“It’s essential to establish measures for health campaigns. As I mentioned to the director earlier, each production team should at least develop one health worker. One goal is to train them to treat simple illnesses, but an equally important goal is for them to be responsible for the health campaign in their villages. Each team should have a dedicated individual overseeing this effort.”

Director Wang looked up, startled by the forward-thinking ideas Gao-Yuan had been nurturing.

Gao-Yuan continued, “Third, we need to be relentless, focusing on priorities, enforcing policies, and setting examples.”

The entire group was left speechless, with Li Runyu and Yanqiao exchanging a glance, barely hiding their shock.

Director Wang put down his pen, his astonishment evident. “Doctor Gao, you truly have an in-depth understanding of preventive health work.”

Gao-Yuan moistened his finger, turned another page, and modestly said, “I’m not done yet.”

“Still more?” Director Wang was floored. They had debated for half the day without coming up with a single practical measure, yet Gao-Yuan had shared an extensive outline, and he wasn’t even finished.

In a mix of awe and urgency, Director Wang quickly resumed taking notes.

Gao-Yuan explained, “So far, I’ve only covered the general approach, not the specific implementation. Our preventive health work should focus on three areas: water, waste, and pest control.”

“Water management is critical. The dysentery outbreaks that peak each summer and fall are tied to drinking unclean river water. We must address the manure pits, trash heaps, and livestock sheds around wells, rivers, and ponds immediately. Pollution of drinking water must be strictly prohibited!”

“We must also ensure drinking water is disinfected. People must develop the habit of drinking boiled water instead of raw water, and we should periodically disinfect wells using a one-time chlorine method. I’ve even written out the math formula to calculate the water volume and required chlorine dosage.”

The others were stunned; he even had a formula!

After addressing water, Gao-Yuan discussed methods for managing waste and provided multiple techniques for treating it safely. He then moved on to pest control, detailing various pests’ dangers and offering specific eradication methods, providing practical steps that could be implemented immediately.

When he finally finished, the room fell into silence.

Director Wang had stopped writing; his hand was numb, and now his mind seemed to be, too. He asked incredulously, “Doctor Gao... how do you know all this?”

Gao-Yuan paused thoughtfully and then replied, “Back in university, I was always pondering health issues and spent a lot of time reading in the library. I just pieced together a few modest ideas. We should be grateful... to this era.”

Turning to Li Runyu and Yanqiao, he added, “My suggestions are still very preliminary; they’re merely a starting point. I’m sure you both can improve on them. Don’t you agree?”

Director Wang scoffed lightly, turning to the two doctors, “Well, you two had plenty to say earlier—don’t stop now!”

Li Runyu's mouth twitched as he shot Yan Qiao an earnest look. “I think it would be fitting for the senior to speak first.”

Yan Qiao turned to him, utterly taken aback. Unbelievable—the nerve of his so-called teammate to throw him under the bus!