Recently, in a state-owned hospital in Shanwei City, Guangdong Province, hundreds of healthcare workers went on strike and gathered in the hospital lobby, holding up white papers with the words “I want to eat” written on them, demanding their wages from the hospital management. The news of the strike attracted attention online and related reports were subsequently deleted.
According to reports from Da Wan News, on October 16, in the lobby of Shanwei City People’s Hospital, hundreds of healthcare workers went on strike due to unequal distribution of bonuses.
Online videos show them holding up white papers with the words “I want to eat” and chanting slogans like “Hospital director come out, give back our bonuses” and “We want a decent life,” collectively demanding their wages.
According to the person who filmed the protest, the protest was believed to have been triggered by only three departments receiving their August bonuses in October, while other departments did not, causing dissatisfaction among the healthcare workers due to the unfair treatment.
Public records show that Shanwei City People’s Hospital is a Grade 3 hospital. On October 20, the topic “Hundreds of healthcare workers in a hospital in Guangdong hold up signs demanding wages” trended on Weibo.
Many netizens commented: “Even the First People’s Hospital is like this?” “They have collected so much money from patients, where did it go?” “This is not an isolated case; there have been many cases in recent years. You can find a lot online. Many hospitals have paid salaries using loans, and when the loan limit is reached, they are on the verge of collapsing.”
Some suggested that if public hospitals are not functioning well, people should go to private ones. However, some netizens noted: “Even in private hospitals, you have to go to the big ones. The ordinary private hospitals are also like this. A hospital where my classmate worked has delayed salaries and cut off benefits.”
Others said: “Even doctors, who have a relatively high social status, cannot get paid. What about other industries?”
Some netizens referred to this strike as a “blank paper movement” in the medical field, and many relevant reports from mainland Chinese media have been censored and removed.