Doctors Are Out

A total of 64 village doctors in Tongxu County, Henan Province resigned on July 8 in protest over unpaid back wages. A leaked joint resignation letter signed by 28 doctors accused the local government of embezzling their wages while increasing their workloads. After investigating the claims, local healthcare authorities said they found no proof of misconduct. Netizens, however, have their doubts, saying the problem is not limited to Tongxu, as many village doctors struggle to survive on meager wages in poor working conditions. Provincial and national healthcare departments have each sent separate teams to investigate the claims.