About a third of Japanese medical institutions are cutting summer bonuses to staff, a trade union said on Monday, as many hospitals and clinics face a cash crunch, having had to delay routine treatments to make room for coronavirus patients.
The Japan Federation of Medical Worker’s Unions said that out of 338 organisations surveyed 115 were planning to cut bonuses below last year’s levels.
Tough working conditions along with pay reductions could persuade more medical staff to retire early, said Kenichi Igarashi, an executive committee member of the union.
Although serious COVID-19 cases have abated, the epidemic brought Japan’s medical system to the brink of collapse in April and May, as patients filled intensive care units and hospitals dealt with internal outbreaks.
