Medical Order Has Returned to Normal; I No Longer Accept Non-Oncology Patients
The peak of the epidemic and the peak of severe illness in our country have both passed, and the medical order has returned to normal. Many patients with various underlying illnesses should most appropriately go to the corresponding specialty for care, yet they still—as they did during the epidemic peak—are unwilling to go to the hospital. Even now, nearly a hundred people consult me every day about various diseases unrelated to oncology, some of which I had never even heard of, but these people still hope that I will take them on as patients.Before the epidemic, I had long studied oncology; over 90% of the articles I wrote were about tumors, and the books I read were the same. My knowledge of other diseases falls far short of that of specialist physicians, and my clinical experience in those fields is almost nil. That I do not accept patients with other conditions is both a matter of knowing my own limits and a concern for patient safety—human life is at stake, and it cannot be treated lightly.During the epidemic, medical workers across the country were treating COVID-related diseases, and I was no exception. Because there were simply too many people infected with COVID at that time, everyone could only adopt makeshift measures. But things are different now: the first wave has passed, and many patients have various underlying diseases that should be treated by well-trained specialist physicians.I am deeply grateful for the trust you place in me, but different trades have their own specialties, and I know where the boundaries of my ability lie. I cannot even understand the lab reports for many diseases; letting me treat those patients would be nothing short of treating human life recklessly. So I respectfully ask non-oncology patients not to come to me—please seek out the appropriate specialist physicians.Moreover, my own energy is limited, and I cannot take on too many patients with complex, difficult conditions. After contracting COVID, I was left with some aftereffects; now, whenever I am overworked or exposed to cold, my heart cannot take it. I myself need time to recover my health. The flood of cross-specialty consultations I receive every day is more than I can handle.Many underlying diseases, if improperly managed, can be fatal. I know that many people, once they fall ill, hope to drink some Chinese herbal medicine at home, because it is both convenient and inexpensive. But some troubles cannot be avoided, and some money cannot be saved. No one dares irresponsibly take on the responsibility of life-and-death decisions, so please do not make things difficult for me.I will continue to accept cancer patients, but apart from very close relatives or friends, I now refuse to take on any other non-cancer patients. No fee, however high, would make me accept them—not to mention those who come free of charge. I cannot bear the risk of a patient dying because of a wrong judgment born of insufficient expertise, and neither can the patients and their families bear that risk.For your safety and for mine, I respectfully ask everyone to go to the appropriate specialty. In medicine, safety always comes first. My energy is limited; I have neither the time nor the ability to study other diseases. Many fellow patients hope I will set aside time to study their conditions, but the problem is that I do not even have enough time to study oncology. This lifetime is short, and I can only focus on cancer research. I hope you can understand.