When Svensen finally had to stop for breath, Dunbar quickly interjected, ‘That all makes perfect sense to me, Doctor.’
The comment seemed to take the wind out of Svensen’s sails. He had obviously expected some kind of cost-cutting argument from Dunbar and was surprised when none materialized.
‘It does?’
‘Of course. You’re obviously a man who knows his job inside out. The patients expect the best and they’re getting it. As long as they’re being charged enough for your excellent services, I’ll be happy.’
‘I don’t work out the charges,’ said Svensen weakly. ‘Mr Giordano’s office deals with that.’
‘I thought that might be the case.’
‘Would you like to meet the staff while you’re here?’
‘I certainly would,’ replied Dunbar. Anything would be better than more technical details of X-ray machinery.
‘I have two radiographers and a dark-room assistant,’ said Svensen, leading the way out of his office.
Dunbar had a bet with himself that the radiographers would be glamorous young women.
‘Girls, I’d like you to meet Dr Steven Dunbar,’ said Svensen as they entered the main X-ray suite. ‘This is Melissa Timpson and Annabel Waters.’
Dunbar stepped forward to shake hands with two glamorous young women. His smile was as much about winning the bet as it was about social nicety. What was it, he wondered, that attracted women who looked as if they belonged on a yacht in the Med to become radiographers? Once before, when he had wondered this aloud, his girlfriend at the time had offered the cynical opinion, ‘The plan is to marry a doctor. It’s either that or become a trolley-dolly and hit on a pilot.’
Melissa and Annabel had been talking to the service engineer about some problem with one of the machines. Dunbar decided to let them get back to it, rather than do a bad impression of a member of the royal family asking questions for the sake of it. ‘What’s through here?’ he asked Svensen, moving towards an exit route.
‘This is my pride and joy,’ replied Svensen breaking into a smile that boded ill, thought Dunbar. He was about to get enthusiastic again.
‘A small tumour radiation facility,’ announced Svensen. ‘A brand-new development in the treatment of such tumours.’
‘What’s special about it?’ asked Dunbar with some trepidation.
‘I’ll show you,’ replied Svensen. ‘Come, put this on.’ He handed Dunbar a protective apron and put one on himself. ‘Not that we need it with this machine, but rules have to be obeyed.’
Svensen put an X-ray plate on the table beneath the front lens of the radiation head and then put a radiation-detection meter very close to it. He used a tungsten light source in the head to align the target and then said, ‘Do you see how close the light circle is to the meter?’
‘Yes.’
‘Watch the meter.’
Dunbar looked at the needle but it didn’t move when Svensen triggered the radiation source. ‘Nothing happened,’ he said.
‘Exactly,’ said Svensen triumphantly. ‘This machine is so well focused we can hit the tumour without fear of damaging the surrounding tissue. We can use higher doses than before and there’s much less risk to the patient.’
‘Oh, I see,’ said Dunbar, getting the point of such a negative display.
Svensen walked across the room to where an illuminated sign said, DARK ROOM KEEP OUT. He pressed the button of an intercom on the wall and said into it, ‘Run this one through for me, Colin, would you?’
There was a two-way wall safe next to the door. Svensen pulled the handle of the metal door and it opened a few inches at the top. He slipped the X-ray cassette into it and closed it firmly with a metallic clunk. ‘Won’t be long,’ he said to Dunbar.
A buzzer announced the return of the film and Svensen collected it from the wall safe. He held it up in triumph. ‘Now then, what d’you think of that?’
Dunbar took the film from him and saw an almost perfectly edged circle where the film had been exposed to the radiation. The area around it was totally unexposed. ‘Remarkable,’ he said, handing the film back. ‘I’m most impressed.’
Svensen held the film up again and marvelled at it. ‘Hot damn, this is a good machine,’ he enthused. ‘Here! Keep it as a souvenir.’
Dunbar accepted the film and smiled at the man’s total immersion in his job. He thanked him for showing him around.
‘Any time,’ smiled Svensen.
‘A good morning?’ asked Ingrid when Dunbar returned to his office.
‘Dr Svensen’s certainly very knowledgeable,’ he replied.
She signified her understanding with her superior little smile. ‘He’s certainly that,’ she agreed. ‘I’ve got the figures you asked for.’
‘Good.’
‘And an invitation too.’
Dunbar raised his eyebrows.
‘There’s going to be a press conference and photo opportunity followed by a reception for the NHS patient who had the jaw-realignment surgery with us.’
‘Before and after pictures,’ said Dunbar.
‘They’re quite dramatic, I believe,’ said Ingrid. ‘All good publicity for the hospital I think you’ll agree.’
‘It’s certainly that. I only hope she doesn’t mind being a circus animal for the afternoon.’
‘A small price to pay,’ said Ingrid. ‘Her whole life will be changed by the work of the surgeons here.’
‘You’re right,’ smiled Dunbar. But he suspected that the patient had been selected because she would provide dramatic publicity in return for some relatively simple surgery, and that she’d taken precedence over more difficult patients who wouldn’t have provided the same photo opportunity. He wondered just how much the scheme was going to benefit patients chosen for free referral and had the depressing thought that it might all be just window-dressing. There was no doubt that the specialist skills and equipment of Medic Ecosse could be used on occasion to great effect in the treatment of difficult NHS cases, but would that be how it worked? Or would Medic Ecosse go for the safe option every time? He wondered if there might be a way of investigating precedent and getting an indication from that.
‘Who has the final say in selecting patients for the free treatment scheme?’ he asked.
‘A committee of three. Dr Kinscherf, Mr Giordano and the head of the department concerned,’ replied Ingrid. ‘Why d’you ask?’
‘Just interested. As I understand it, the hospital has taken on a few NHS patients for free in the past. Do you think you could get me a list and information about what treatment they had?’
Ingrid obviously wondered how this could possibly interest someone employed to monitor financial dealings, but she merely said, ‘I’ll see what I can do.’
Dunbar knew well that he had no business asking for this information. It was plain curiosity on his part and perhaps the thought that even if his other inquiries came to nought he could at least bring the failings of the free referral scheme — if that’s what they turned out to be — to someone’s attention at the Scottish Office.
EIGHT
Clive Turner was looking forward to coming off duty after a ten-hour shift at the Children’s Hospital when he was called to the phone. It was Leo Giordano at Medic Ecosse.
‘Dr Turner? I have some good news for you. Dr Kinscherf and Dr Ross have agreed to take on the Chapman girl as a patient.’
‘That’s not good news; that’s wonderful news,’ exclaimed Turner. ‘I had to tell her parents earlier that neither of them would be suitable as a donor. They were pre-warned, of course, but it’s never easy to hear things you don’t want to. I honestly didn’t think there was much chance of you taking Amanda on.’
‘Frankly, I didn’t hold out much hope either but your eloquence won the day. I told Ross and Kinscherf what you said about these folks deserving some kind of a break and I guess they agreed with you!’