Public hospitals in parts of Beijing are demanding that medical staff return performance bonuses already paid this year, while some facilities have stopped issuing bonuses altogether and are struggling to cover payroll.
A notice circulating online in recent days from a hospital department in Beijing said staff on the government payroll would be required to repay all performance-based bonuses distributed between January and June. The notice said the exact amount each employee would owe would be announced at a meeting.
It also stated that salaries for those employees would not be paid this month until the repayment amounts were calculated, after which any remaining balance would be issued. The screenshots of the notice did not identify the hospital.
Several individuals familiar with the matter spoke to The Epoch Times on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal.
A medical worker at Beijing’s China-Japan Friendship Hospital, surnamed Deng, told the publication that her own hospital has not implemented such measures but said she has heard of similar cases elsewhere in the capital.
“I heard that a hospital in Changping required employees to return the bonuses they received during the first half of the year, and it stopped paying bonuses starting in July,” Deng said. “Our hospital hasn’t asked us to return bonuses yet, but you never know. Some hospitals in other regions have had government funding delayed, so they can only pay basic salaries.”
Fiscal Pressure Reaches Frontline Workers
A retired Beijing resident, surnamed Gao, told The Epoch Times that reports of delayed wages and benefits have become increasingly common across China’s public sector.
“Every day you hear about hospitals, schools, and even state-owned enterprises delaying wages and benefits,” Gao said. “In Hebei Province, some hospitals are delaying salaries, so there’s no bonus to speak of. County-level hospitals in Shandong province are also behind on wages, and township health clinics are in even worse shape.”
Gao attributed part of the financial strain to weakening demand for healthcare.
“Fewer people are going to hospitals now because they can’t afford the costs,” he said. “Hospitals themselves are starting to lose money.”
A Guangxi-based online commentator told The Epoch Times that wage delays have become increasingly common as China’s economic slowdown weighs on local governments.
“The regime only focuses on private companies that delay wages, saying they will impose penalties or conduct tax investigations,” he said. “But when state-owned enterprises or public institutions delay wages, they don’t intervene.”
The commentator added that employees at public institutions often have few avenues to seek redress.
“The labor unions at state-owned enterprises stand with the Chinese Communist Party rather than the workers, so there’s nowhere to file a complaint,” he said. “Here in Guangxi [Province], it’s very common for schools to delay teachers’ salaries. Sanitation workers have also had wages delayed, and bonuses have disappeared.”
Salary Reform Meets Fiscal Reality
Performance-based bonuses make up a significant portion of compensation for employees at China’s public hospitals. The payments are typically tied to hospital revenue, departmental workloads, and performance evaluations. Medical staff may also receive additional compensation for overnight shifts and holiday work.
Previous reforms issued by China’s National Health Commission and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in 2021 granted public hospitals greater discretion in distributing payroll within approved compensation budgets and encouraged additional pay for night shifts and holiday work.
However, according to the medical workers interviewed by The Epoch Times, tightening local government finances and delayed fiscal transfers are leaving some hospitals unable to sustain those payments.
The online commentator said such cases are becoming increasingly common, particularly at government-funded public institutions, where employees have few effective channels to challenge delayed or reduced compensation.
