The traditional diagnostic routine—observation, listening and smelling, inquiry, and palpation—was completed. Ordinarily, this would be followed by a prescription for some medicine costing just a few tens of yuan, and the patient would be on their way after taking it.
But Western medicine was different from traditional Chinese medicine. It usually started with inquiries about the medical condition and the patient's own reactions, followed by blood tests, B-scans, color Doppler ultrasounds, and other such examinations. These were two different medical systems. Western medicine relied on scientific instruments for test results to determine the condition, which is why it incurred high testing fees.
Though their methods differed, both systems could achieve good results. But in terms of treatment costs, Western medicine was clearly much more expensive.
