Mainland healthcare workers see widespread salary cuts, industry insiders express heartache

In China, along with the wave of pay cuts for civil servants, there is a nationwide salary reduction for medical personnel. Many medical staff in various regions have expressed that they have not received their epidemic subsidies yet, their bonuses have been halved, and some have not been paid for months. Due to a decrease in patient numbers, they are even worried about hospitals closing down.

Recently, the topic of salary cuts for medical staff has sparked resonance. A medical worker in Anhui posted that they never thought salary cuts would reach hospitals, chilling the hearts of medical staff. During the epidemic, provinces needed a large number of medical workers to conduct nucleic acid testing. They would finish their late-night shift at 11:30 pm, head to the provincial capital for testing at 4 am, and return to their hospital post by 7:30 am.

The summer heat had them sweating profusely in their airtight protective suits, while in freezing winters, their fingers would freeze as they collected samples in the cold wind. Masks would leave deep purple marks on their faces. Some went without drinking water for eight hours, and others fainted from exhaustion at the testing stations. “We agreed on subsidies, but in the end, we didn’t receive a single penny. But we are just ordinary families, and the wind of pay cuts has blown into the hospital, chilling the hearts of medical staff,” one of them recalled.

A medical worker from Guangxi remarked, “The higher the praise at that time, the worse the situation now. I also went as a support. The only perk was getting a permanent position, and the rest (credit) goes to the leaders.” There was a response saying, “You outside medical workers could secure a position, but we Wuhan medical staff (on duty during the lockdown) for over two months, without any bonus. We received a medal, but even our subsidies were delayed for over a year, and the final installment was cut in half.”

A netizen from Jiangsu mentioned, “The year-end bonuses in the clinical front line were cut in half, receiving only one-third compared to the administrative department.”

Netizens believe this is a case of “deceptive practices,” where “the mask (epidemic) incidents have collapsed the healthcare systems in various regions.” “Healthcare warriors = indentured servants.” “With no money, each year is worse than the last. Funds are stagnant like dead water, everyone holding onto their limited savings. Professionals from unrelated fields are managing experts, especially the medical insurance overseeing hospital doctors, pushing hospitals into a dead end.”

Due to the lack of prospects, some have endured the epidemic and resigned; some, thinking about their children, parents, and unfinished mortgages, feel like they are treading a difficult path and give up resistance. Some, who signed contracts and life-or-death documents with hospitals during the severe outbreak, were laid off as soon as the lockdown ended. Currently, the hospital system is facing nationwide pay cuts.

A netizen from Sichuan commented, “This time the salary adjustment increased by four hundred, but the performance bonus decreased by four hundred.” “After the salary increase, we end up with two to three hundred less than before, it’s very frustrating, and our small hospital is struggling to pay salaries.” “In society’s eyes, all medical staff received a raise, but little do they know, while some got a minor increase, there was a much larger decline elsewhere.”

In recent years, due to the financial constraints of the CCP, the wave of pay cuts continues to spread, affecting civil servants and employees including teachers, and state-owned enterprises. Although civil servants’ average salaries were raised by 500 yuan at the end of last year, in reality, they have been decreasing. The basic salary increased, but other sources of income decreased, resulting in an actual reduction in income.

Last year, a government official from Guangdong told a reporter from Dajiyuan that the year-end bonuses were canceled, and in many places, just being able to pay salaries monthly was considered fortunate. They could only maintain the “basic (salary),” everything else was off the table.

A doctor from Hebei recently told Dajiyuan that their salary and bonuses used to be comparable, but in the latter part of last year, their bonuses significantly decreased, to about half of what they used to be, with the cardiology department’s bonus dropping to less than 20% of the original amount (fees vary among different departments and patients). The bonus for December has not been paid, already delayed for three months. While their salary increased by four to five hundred yuan, the take-home pay shrank dramatically.

“All medications are from cheaper centralized procurement; there’s no money in medical insurance, leaving hospitals to cover expenses; state employees, the government doesn’t have funds to pay salaries, hence the doctors have lost their bonuses,” she said.

Moreover, the doctor disclosed that both urban and rural communities have seen a decline in population, with fewer people on the streets and in supermarkets, resulting in significantly fewer patients in hospitals. There has been a severe flu outbreak before and after the New Year, especially affecting many young people. However, hospitals in cities do not have many patients, as people are afraid to go to major hospitals, while village doctors are incredibly busy.

“Because major hospitals are too expensive. A visit to the hospital costs several thousand yuan for various tests on the first day, and a lung CT scan costs hundreds of yuan. In the past, when people were diagnosed with cancer, they would sell all they had to get treatment, but now, upon discovering cancer, they just go home (to die) immediately as they have no money.”

“On January 6, the Life Weekly of China reported on its WeChat public account that there were over 1200 records related to hospital bankruptcies in 2024 on the national enterprise bankruptcy reorganization information website. The article mentioned that in 2024, bankrupt hospitals were mainly small and medium-sized private hospitals, with a few public hospitals among them.”

According to a report from “Medical Eye Observation” last year, Yu Xiaobao, Vice Chairman of the Management Branch of the Private Hospitals Management Committee of the Chinese Hospital Association, said that since the outbreak of the epidemic, over 2000 private hospitals have gone bankrupt due to operational difficulties. This figure is still on the rise.

“Hospitals have always been self-sufficient financially. I doubt if there will be any bonuses this year. After all, many hospitals have started closing down, even some public tertiary hospitals. The government and hospitals lend money to departments for salaries, making this year even harder than the last,” the aforementioned doctor concluded.