Stories
China's Hospitals Face Financial Strain, Workers Suffer Wage and Bonus Cuts
- •Hospital workers across China are experiencing significant wage and performance-bonus cuts due to increasing financial pressures on public medical institutions.
- •Some medical workers report monthly base salaries below 2,000 yuan, with certain hospitals delaying wage payments for months.
- •Nurses in Hangzhou saw a 20 percent reduction in their monthly base salaries, while a nurse in Suzhou experienced a decline from 3,700 yuan to 1,700 yuan since the COVID-19 pandemic, with bonuses also halted.
- •Medical workers at Suihua People’s Hospital and Hedong Hospital have protested unpaid wages, with some going five to six months without salaries.
- •Financial difficulties have led to hospital closures and bankruptcy proceedings, such as Tianhu Hospital and Luxinan Hospital, impacting hundreds of employees.
Key Questions Answered
Medical workers in several regions of China are experiencing significant salary and performance-bonus cuts due to mounting financial pressures on public institutions, with some seeing monthly base salaries drop below 2,000 yuan. Others have reported delayed wage payments, halted bonuses, and even instances where hospitals required employees to return previously paid performance bonuses.
Medical workers at Suihua People’s Hospital in Heilongjiang Province protested in November 2025 over going five or six months without receiving salaries. Additionally, online videos showed workers at Hedong Hospital in Linyi demanding unpaid wages, Tianhu Hospital eventually dismissed its workforce after owing wages, and Luxinan Hospital entered bankruptcy liquidation in 2024 after owing over 600 employees eight months of pay.
Public hospitals receiving partial government funding can face major financial gaps when state allocations decline. While hospitals may attempt to offset this by increasing charges, reduced patient visits further weaken their revenues, and some facilities have seen income drop further after authorities forced them to restore earlier fee schedules.
