Lai has not only endured being an outsider in his own homeland, but also even being seen by some of his colleagues as a self-important malcontent-in particular because he has been able to find a work situation that allows him to remain faithful to his ideal of quality over quantity, at a time when most doctors are inundated with patients (or surgical procedures).
賴其萬不僅是故鄉的異鄉人，在部分同業的眼中，恐怕也是「自命清高」的「異議份子」，尤其在多數醫師都被門診量（和手術量）壓得透不過氣來時，賴其萬卻能找到容許他堅持量少質優的環境。