"Love is also a prescription" (Watch)

"Today's patients are more complicated and take more time." When the reporter came to Beijing Chest Hospital (formerly the Central Tuberculosis Research Institute) for an interview, Ma Ji (see above, file photo) in a white coat had just returned to the office from the outpatient clinic. As a re-employed expert at the Beijing Chest Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, Ma Jie insisted on visiting the clinic every week, although he was nearly ninety years old and had silver hair. "It's not easy for the country to train a TB doctor, and I want to use my experience to help more patients." Ma Ji held up his reading glasses and smiled.

"I am very happy to be able to serve patients"

"I remember when I was a kid, I always saw people on the street who were suffering from diseases and wanted to help them." Ma Ji said that at that time, there was a shortage of medical treatment and medicines, and the mortality rate of tuberculosis patients was very high.

"The doctor of the hanging pot is an example for me to learn." When ma Jie was young, he saw the deeds of many doctors who gave free medical treatment to the people, and was very touched, and secretly set the goal of practicing medicine in life. After graduating from high school, she was admitted to the Department of Tuberculosis Medicine of Jiangsu Medical College. "Studying medicine can do a lot of practical things." Recalling the original decision, Ma Ji's eyes lit up, "Now it seems that my choice is correct, I feel very happy and fulfilled to be able to serve the patients!"

Beijing Chest Hospital is located on the west bank of the beautiful North Canal in Beijing's Tongzhou District, where Ma Ji has been working for 67 years. "In 1955, after graduation, I was assigned to the Central Tuberculosis Institute and became a real tuberculosis doctor, which was a new starting point in my life." Ma Ji said.

After Ma Jie stepped into the clinical post, even if the working conditions were difficult, he always insisted on learning. In order to give more people a good look, Ma Ji spent a year learning the basic knowledge of internal medicine; in order to be able to read foreign medical literature, Ma Ji taught himself English and mastered medical English; for decades, Ma Ji insisted on reading every day and always paid attention to the cutting-edge dynamics of tuberculosis research.

Long-term medical practice has enabled Ma Tou to accumulate rich clinical experience. She has treated many difficult diseases and is particularly good at the identification and diagnosis of tuberculosis. Many people with tuberculosis who have been missed, misdiagnosed and undiagnosed elsewhere have been treated effectively with her. Over the past 67 years, from clinical doctors to department directors, from chief physicians to well-known experts in the field of tuberculosis at home and abroad, in the long career of medical practice, Ma Ji has always adhered to the original intention of "saving people and serving patients".

"Even a smile will spread a ray of sunshine in the patient's heart"

Every Thursday, in the fifth consultation room of the Tuberculosis Clinic of Beijing Chest Hospital, Ma Ji always wears a pair of reading glasses, holds a magnifying glass, listens to the patient's condition, and carefully examines the patient's chest X-ray and CT images.

"Doctors can't be indifferent, and love is also a prescription. Even a smile will spread a ray of sunshine in the patient's heart. That's what Ma Ji said, and that's what he did.

Before each auscultation, Ma Jie will intimately use his hands to heat the stethoscope to avoid the cold stethoscope from bringing discomfort to the patient; in order to fully understand the condition, Ma Ji attaches great importance to communication with patients, even if it is just a few "small talk", he will use warm words to increase mutual trust.

Ma Ji remembers that a college student found tuberculosis during the physical examination, but he could not come to the diagnosis and treatment on time. Under Ma Jie's repeated questioning, he finally told the truth, because he did not want other students to know that he was ill. Ma Jie advised him: "Children, you have to look at the long term, if the treatment is not timely, the lungs will be diseased and will be life-threatening." Later, with Ma Jie's encouragement and meticulous treatment, the college student recovered well. Today he is a diplomat, in regular telephone contact with Ma.

In order to reduce the financial burden of poor patients, Ma Jie always tries every means to make patients spend less money, do more things, and sometimes even pay their own expenses. For a time, Ma Ji often trekked to the countryside to see the villagers. If the villagers' families are poor and cannot come up with the medicine fee, Ma Ji will pay for it himself.

"When I can't serve patients, that's when I'm resting"

In November 2021, Ma Jie won the title of "Most Beautiful Science and Technology Worker" in 2021.

"As a clinician, my main job is to diagnose and treat patients, but I also insist on scientific research." Ma Ji said. In the 1950s, there were not many treatments available for TB worldwide. In tuberculosis treatment, Ma Wei found that some patients are resistant to one drug, some patients are resistant to multiple drugs, and even some patients are fully resistant. In order to improve the efficiency of diagnosis, Ma Ji and colleagues established a method of detecting drug resistance genes using gene molecular biology technology in the laboratory, which brought great convenience to the diagnosis of drug resistance and the timely adjustment of treatment plans.

In 1982, Ma Jie completed a two-year overseas study and returned to China to start immunological research on tuberculosis, and successively carried out research on the serological diagnosis of tuberculosis, immune function and immunotherapy in lung cancer patients. Since 1990, with the development of molecular biology, she has done a lot of work in the molecular biology of tuberculosis, and completed 1 project funded by the Beijing Natural Science Foundation, and won 9 scientific and technological progress awards from the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission and the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau. Over the years, she has published 185 papers in Chinese and English, participated in the writing of relevant chapters of 19 monographs such as Tuberculosis, and edited books such as Practical Lung Cancer Prevention and Treatment Guidelines and Practical Tuberculosis.

In addition to tuberculosis research, Ma Ji also shoulders the heavy responsibility of cultivating the next generation of tuberculosis prevention and control talents. Over the years, she has trained 10 master's students, 3 doctoral students, and jointly trained a number of masters and doctors with other experts. Even at the age of nearly 90, he still insisted on teaching graduate students. "Someone once advised me that I was almost 90 years old and should have a good rest. I think that when I am physically inferior and cannot serve patients, it is my time to rest..." Ma Jie said.

People's Daily ( 2022-01-19 06 edition)