China Hospital Workers Face Drastic Wage and Bonus Cuts
Medical workers in China report drastic salary reductions and unpaid wages as public hospitals face severe financial strain.
Medical professionals across various regions in China are grappling with severe financial instability as public medical institutions struggle under mounting economic pressures. Reports indicate that hospital staff are facing significant reductions in their monthly base salaries and the sudden disappearance of performance bonuses.
Drastic Salary Reductions Reported
The financial strain has manifested in various ways, with some healthcare workers seeing their income plummet. In Hangzhou, a public hospital employee reported that nursing staff witnessed a 20 per cent reduction in their monthly base pay, with salaries dropping from 2,750 yuan to just 2,200 yuan in August.
The impact appears even more severe in other provinces. In Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, a family member of a nurse reported a staggering decline in income; their monthly base salary fell from approximately 3,700 yuan before the COVID-19 pandemic to roughly 1,700 yuan. Beyond base pay cuts, many hospitals have reportedly ceased paying performance bonuses altogether.
Unpaid Wages and Public Protests
The crisis has moved beyond mere reductions, leading to instances of total non-payment. In Heilongjiang Province, employees at Suihua People’s Hospital reportedly protested in November 2025 due to unpaid wages. Staff members in the emergency department claimed they had gone five to six months without receiving any salary, even as they continued to work while demanding their wages and social security contributions.
Similar unrest has been captured on video. In April, footage circulated online showing medical workers at Hedong Hospital in Linyi, Shandong Province, demanding their overdue pay. In one extreme case in Beijing, a public hospital reportedly required its employees to return six months of performance bonuses that had already been disbursed.
Systemic Financial Instability in Healthcare
The root of the crisis appears to be a combination of shifting government policies and declining revenues. In Jiangxi Province, Tianhu Hospital faced a financial collapse following changes to health insurance policies, which eventually led to unpaid wages and the dismissal of its workforce.
The consequences of these financial gaps are becoming increasingly dire:
- Bankruptcy: In 2024, Luxinan Hospital in Shandong entered bankruptcy liquidation after failing to pay over 600 employees for eight months.
- Funding Gaps: Officials suggest that hospitals receiving only partial government funding face massive gaps when state allocations decline.
- Revenue Spirals: As hospitals attempt to compensate for losses by increasing service charges, they face a decline in patient visits, further weakening their financial position.
In Jiangsu Province, some hospitals have already faced public complaints regarding increased fees, which occurred after authorities mandated a restoration of earlier fee schedules, further squeezing hospital revenues.