Fan Heng and Fan Wubing were preparing for the future in Hong Kong. However, the country was in chaos and the situation was very critical.

On April 2, the State Council held an executive meeting to study SARS prevention and control, proposing to make SARS prevention and control the top priority. The Minister of Health served as the head of the prevention and control group, and the Deputy Secretary-General was responsible for the coordination of the inter-ministerial joint meeting. He also proposed to inform the World Health Organization of the epidemic, and the Ministry of Health held a press conference to establish an emergency handling mechanism for public health incidents.

On April 3, the Minister of Health held the first press conference of Chinese and foreign journalists, saying that some parts of China have effectively controlled the SARS epidemic. The number he reported to everyone was that as of March 31, 1,190 cases of illness and 46 deaths nationwide, including 1,153 cases in Guangdong, 12 cases in Beijing, and 3 deaths.

On April 10, the Deputy Minister of Health said at the second press conference of Chinese and foreign journalists that the number of epidemics reported by China is credible. As of April 9, the number of cases nationwide was 1,290. Among them, 55 died, the number of cases in Guangdong rose to 1,213, and there were only 22 in Beijing and 4 deaths.

On April 15, the Ministry of Health announced that as of the morning, the number of cases nationwide was 1,435, 64 deaths, including 1,273 in Guangdong, only 37 in Beijing, and 4 deaths.

On April 20, Xinhua News Agency issued the central government's decision to remove the position of Party Secretary of the Minister of Health and the position of deputy secretary of the municipal party committee of the Mayor of Jingcheng. According to convention, this means that they will no longer serve as Minister of Health and Mayor of Jingcheng.

On this day, it was only one month since the Minister of Health took office, and less than two months after the mayor of Beijing City took office. The new official was dismissed before he even took office. This is rare in Chinese history. This rareness is closely related to the current epidemic of atypical pneumonia.

The Executive Vice Minister of the Ministry of Health confirmed this at a press conference held that day. In the latest SARS epidemic he released, the number of SARS confirmed in Beijing was 339 and the number of suspected cases was 402. In the epidemic report released by the Ministry of Health five days ago, there were only 37 cases in Beijing and 4 deaths, and the number of deaths did not increase compared to ten days ago.

This set of data shows that at least there are concealment and underreporting major epidemics in the capital area. Local governments have once again lie about military information in major events related to national economy and people's livelihood. The Ministry of Health, as the head of the national health system, cannot grasp the real epidemic in the capital under its nose. How can we talk about controlling the overall situation? It is simply nonsense to do our best to do our best.

Natural disasters are terrible, but man-made disasters are even more hateful.

According to the introduction of the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Health, the media learned that the State Council has repeatedly asked the Beijing Municipal Government to coordinate the investigation and monitoring of epidemics in hospitals under different departments, but the results are not great. The Ministry of Health has not provided effective guidance on the prevention and control of Beijing. The final released figures were found by the State Council Special Group in major hospitals in Beijing. Is this the efficient government that Beijing needs to build?

Is it tolerable, who can't bear it?!

Atypical pneumonia was reported in Guangdong as early as the Spring Festival. As a new disease, it is indeed difficult to grasp at the beginning of the epidemic. For government departments, it is not good to report publicly early and easily cause unnecessary social panic, but it is not good to report late and it is even more likely to cause social turmoil.

The pace of Guangdong local government control is still successful in general. Although the news media did not disclose publicly before the early symptoms were clear, the local media reported it relatively sufficient after confirming the epidemic, which greatly satisfies the public's right to know and provides time and space for the public to correctly prevent and control SARS.

Theoretically speaking, as local governments across the country where the epidemic occurred later, especially in Beijing, should do better than Guangdong, more calmly, more foresighted, more effectively curb the spread of SARS, and more eliminate the epidemic in its infancy.

Unfortunately, what people see now is another result.

If the figures released by the Ministry of Health itself are credible, then the rising incidence has long broken the conclusion made by the Minister of Health at the first press conference, not to mention that there are concealment and misreport under his eyelids. This makes many citizens living in Beijing, including the leaders of the Party and the state, feel the epidemic environment? And how do they feel when the top leaders of the Party and government frequently inspect the news reports of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Institute of Military Medical Sciences, and the university and primary schools and hospitals in Beijing?

Now it is the era of the Internet. When a major epidemic occurs in society, the media, as a public, failed to play a social communication and early warning role in both the top and bottom information. This is also a serious dereliction of duty. The epidemic cannot exist if the media avoids it. On the contrary, the lack of information caused by media avoidance will only aggravate the public's panic and complaints about the government. The result of deceivers and concealing the superiors and subordinates will delay the prevention and control opportunity, secondly, corrupt the image of the government, and thirdly, mislead the government's decision-making.

Regarding these situations, Fan Heng, who was watching coldly in Hong Kong, said to his son, "The State Council will not implement a long-term holiday system for the May Day, with the purpose of avoiding large-scale movement of people and the spread of the epidemic. However, on April 6, the Deputy Director of the National Tourism Administration convened more than 70 people from various countries to report the situation and said that foreigners can come to China for peace of mind, hoping that those who are sitting in China can refute the overseas media to exaggerate China's SARS epidemic with their own experience in China. When talking about the domestic market, he said that there is a large tourism market in China, and domestic tourism accounts for about 70% of my country's overall tourism. We must organize the May Day Golden Week. With the help of these seven-day long holidays with tens of millions of people, the whole world can see that China is still the most ideal fertile land for investment and the safest tourist destination. But now it seems that these people have fallen."

Fan Wubing said, "SARS is a natural disaster, a disease that humans have not yet mastered the prevention and control. The emergence and spread of the epidemic are not transferred by human will. What is the need to deliberately conceal or cover it up? Where does it affect your political achievements? Therefore, this incomprehensible phenomenon can only be explained as an instinctive reflection in the phenomenon of numbers and official numbers, and a subconscious reflection. On the surface, it seems to be a good news but not a bad news. In essence, it is only responsible to the superiors but not to the subordinates. It is impossible to distinguish what political achievements are and what conscience is. Political achievements are serious deviations from the people's hearts."

Fan Heng nodded and agreed with his son's statement. Now overseas public opinion has always criticized the Chinese government's performance during the SARS epidemic, which makes every conscientious Chinese angry about this. The attitude of the central government shows the image of a government responsible for the public.

SARS tests political civilization.

"This time the Ministry of Health has completely collapsed. The minister and director probably have no few left, which is embarrassing!" Fan Heng said, "In the face of such a major epidemic, they chose to deceive their superiors and conceal their subordinates. This not only affected their official voices, but also made the senior officials collectively angry. The new Prime Minister was very angry about this. No. 1 was also very angry. It is estimated that more people will need to be adjusted this time."

"It is not very realistic to make large-scale adjustments. After all, in the Ministry of Health, the outsider could not lead an expert when he was a child. I guess the possibility of a new leader from within was greater." Fan Wubing did not think that the Ministry of Health would fall from now on. In fact, the enemy is in front of the enemy, and the choice of the last battle is the choice of the subordinates. The senior management can only destroy one or two responsible leaders, and then appoint the person he has seen to succeed. It is impossible to have a major change of blood as a whole.

It is not impossible to have a blood change as a whole, but now it is not the best opportunity, especially now that there are not so many people in the senior management who have the right to speak in the health system to fill these vacant positions.

However, it is obvious that Fan Wubing's estimate is not accurate at all times.

During lunch break at noon, the dedicated line between Fan Heng and the new Prime Minister rang. After Fan Heng answered it, he talked a few words, and then shouted Fan Wubing, "Wubing, come here quickly, the Prime Minister will say a few words to you."

"Follow me?" Fan Wubing was stunned. In his impression, the new Prime Minister did not look at him very much. After all, there were still big differences in the opinions of some issues.

Judging from the current situation, the new leadership group seems to have some different opinions on the privatization process, especially when it comes to the issue of whether the country is retreating or the country is advancing and the people are advancing, and they should focus on the latter. Therefore, some non-publicly owned enterprises have not had a good life recently. Although Fan's Investment Group basically occupies very competitive monopoly industries, such as chips, manufacturing, mobile phones, LCD technology and other state-owned enterprises cannot get involved in, it has not been greatly affected, but this does not affect Fan Wubing's judgment and grasp of the overall situation.

Therefore, the relationship between Fan Wubing and the new leadership group is to maintain a superficial relationship and harmony, and it really has not reached the level of harmony. In fact, Fan Wubing does not really want to establish too close relationships between his company and the government. In that case, some decisions will be easily constrained, which is something that no large multinational consortium wants to see.

Just like Fan Wubing now, or several senior figures in the Fan Investment Group, when they visit small countries, they are usually received by the president, the prime minister or foreign princes. Even if they go to major countries such as the United States, Russia, Britain, France, Germany and Japan, they are receiving high-ranking officials at least at the ministerial level, especially when Fan Wubing travels, they are receiving politicians at the highest level of the other party.

Based on this consideration, although Fan's Investment Group is rooted in China for construction and development, it is always cautiously maintained in a relatively stable state for government relations, so as not to have any inappropriate relationships and unnecessary consequences.

However, it was not the time to doubt it. Fan Wubing took the phone call from his father Fan Heng and started chatting with the new Prime Minister.

During the dialogue, the new Prime Minister first expressed his gratitude to Fan Wubing, and said that the SARS epidemic in Beijing recently broke out, and there were not enough places for hospitals in the city to admit treatment. Fortunately, the infectious disease prevention and control base invested and built by Fan's Investment Group has been completed at this time, and all critically ill patients have been transferred to the infectious disease prevention and control base in the suburbs, which has made the senior management relieved.

"If we had not had the infectious disease prevention and control base invested by President Fan, we would have become more passive this time. Here, on behalf of the State Council, I would like to express my gratitude to you." The new Prime Minister said to Fan Wubing.

Fan Wubing responded a few words, but he was very suspicious. Although he did make efforts in this matter, the central government could prove that he was doing things and was pragmatic at a critical moment, and did some preventive work on infectious disease prevention and control, but he did not think that this was the real reason why the new prime minister called to express his gratitude to him.

Sure enough, the new prime minister changed his tone and talked about the performance of the Ministry of Health during the prevention and control of the SARS epidemic this time. "I am extremely disappointed with them! If the overall situation was not taken into account, the entire system would have to be cleaned up!"

Fan Wubing comforted him for a few words and thought of the other party's real purpose. So Fan Wubing followed the tone of the new Prime Minister, "Since the Ministry of Health has made such a big mistake, the positions that are vacant must be filled in by professionals. After all, this is a very professional department. I believe the leadership must have made arrangements?"

"This is exactly one of the reasons why I want to find you." The new Prime Minister said to Fan Wubing very directly.

"Oh?" Fan Wubing said in a daze, "Although I am known as a little miracle doctor, I am not proficient in this area. Prime Minister, you probably have found the wrong person."

"Mr. Fan is too modest. Who doesn't know that you are the closed disciple of Mr. Fan Tianlan? This time, Mr. Fan took action. Traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese medicine played a key role in SARS prevention and control. We hope to rely on his prestige, do a better job in the Ministry of Health, and eliminate the SARS epidemic this time." The new Prime Minister said to Fan Wubing.

Fan Wubing immediately understood that he had to rely on the respect of his teacher Fan Tianlan and suppress the pretentious but without any real information in the Ministry of Health. This was the main purpose of the new Prime Minister's conversation with him.

He thought about it and felt that the operationality of this matter was still very strong.

SARS face to face, and the epidemic is raging, and most people really don’t have the courage to take on the burden of the Ministry of Health. Although Vice Premier Wu of the State Council is now the position of Minister of Health and is mainly responsible for the prevention and control of SARS, she has always wanted to withdraw from the management of these specific affairs, so the Ministry of Health needs people with great importance to preside over it.
Chapter completed!