Is Housing Fund a “savings item” for hospitals?
Writing | Song Kunlun
Source | “Medical Community Think Tank” Public Account
Recently, an employee of the Third People’s Hospital of Suzhou City (referred to as the Third Hospital of Suzhou) complained through the “Leader Message Board” of the People’s Daily Online that the hospital “has not been able to pay housing for the staff on staff. Provident Fund”. On August 1, the Suzhou Municipal Party Committee Office of Anhui Province replied that the Third Hospital of Suzhou City was designated as the designated hospital for the treatment of new coronary pneumonia in Suzhou City.
Screenshot from People’s Daily Online “Leadership Message Board”
“Medical think tank” learned that the hospital was established in 1981 and was awarded “National Second-Class Hospital” in 1995. On December 8, 2011, Suzhou Third People’s Hospital, Suzhou Orthopaedic Hospital, and Suzhou Renhe Hospital were merged into Suzhou Third People’s Hospital, and Suzhou Orthopaedic Hospital (one institution, two brands) was retained. The hospital was delivered to the new campus in 2020. Due to the outbreak of the new coronary pneumonia, it was upgraded as a designated hospital for the treatment of patients with pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus in Suzhou.
In the official explanation, the hospital’s suspension of housing provident fund was caused by the relocation without business income + the business income affected by the epidemic after the relocation.
Five rounds of vacating the campus to treat patients with new coronary pneumonia
According to the local official response, since the outbreak of the epidemic in 2020, the Third Hospital of Suzhou has been designated as the designated hospital for the treatment of new coronary pneumonia in Suzhou, and has been vacated for five rounds to treat patients with new coronary pneumonia. Bridge District (the administrative district where the hospital is located) has repeatedly allocated funds to the hospital to ensure the basic salaries and necessary expenses of medical staff. However, due to the sharp drop in business income, the hospital currently has no financial resources to purchase housing provident funds for its employees.
According to public information, the Suzhou Third Hospital has undertaken many local epidemic treatment tasks. Not long ago, an outbreak broke out in Suzhou, Anhui Province. A leader of the National Health and Health Commission also went to the local town to give command. During this period, he accompanied the leaders of Anhui Province to the hospital to inspect and guide the treatment work, visit the medical staff, and give medical advice to the medical staff. Thank you for your hard work.
In addition, according to the response of the relevant local departments, the reasons for the suspension of housing provident fund payment also include “the hospital closed for relocation in August 2017, the new hospital was put into use in early 2020, and the No business income during the construction period”, etc.
But in fact, according to the previous complaints of the staff of the hospital, “since 2015 (please check the specific time with the District Health Commission and the Office of the Third Hospital), the provident fund has not been paid.”
That is, about 2 years ago when the hospital was relocated, the hospital had already stopped paying. It is understood that the Suzhou No. 3 Hospital is directly under the Yongqiao District Health and Health Commission. It is a differential funding institution, and the finance only bears the salaries of retirees. Wages and pension insurance of incumbents are paid out of their business income.
In response to this situation, Yongqiao District responded that it will increase the protection of the hospital according to the actual situation. At the same time, the hospital plans to purchase and make up the housing provident fund for employees after the normal medical business and stable income.
After the epidemic, the hospital stopped paying salaries
“I am an ordinary employee of the Third Hospital of Suzhou. Since the beginning of July 2021, the Third Hospital of Suzhou has been the designated hospital for the treatment of new crown patients. The epidemic situation is the order. We are doing our best. The hospital cannot operate normally. The government said at the time that it would bear the wages of the employees, but as a result, wages were not paid for two months in July and August. We do not seek to increase the wages of medical staff, but we can pay them normally.”
“Dear Mayor, hello! I am an employee of the Third Hospital of Suzhou. The Third Hospital is at the forefront of fighting against the new crown epidemic and designated hospitals every year. But wages, a basic thing that affects the livelihood of employees, It is delayed and unable to pay in time. I hope the city leaders can instruct the city leaders to instruct the next month’s wages to be paid on time at the end of each month, thank you leaders!”
On the People’s Daily Online “Leadership Message Board”, the related complaints about the hospital also include the phenomenon of arrears of wages. One of the employees also stated in August 2021 that after working in the hospital’s prevention and insurance department for many years, he has never received special funds for infectious disease reports; he has not received any new coronavirus vaccination fees for the implementation of the new coronavirus vaccine.
In response to this, the local competent authority replied, “The issue of the wages of employees during the expropriation period has been reported to the higher-level department by the Health and Health Commission of Yongqiao District, and the higher-level department has made arrangements, and the payment can be made in the near future. Once disbursed, it will be distributed to employees immediately.”
In addition, regarding the issue of special funds for infectious disease reporting, the competent authority replied that the district finance for infectious disease reporting (at that time) had been allocated to the Third Hospital of Suzhou, but it was not issued in a timely manner.
The above problems were properly resolved after the employees complained.
Unpaid CPF behavior at multiple hospitals
“Medical think tank” searched the People’s Daily Online message board and learned that in the past year or so, the phenomenon of unpaid housing provident fund exists in many hospitals.
Screenshot from People’s Daily Online “Leadership Message Board”
From contract workers to staff on staff, medical units at all levels have suspended payments. Responding to relevant complainants, most hospitals stated:
Affected by the new crown epidemic and historical debts, the hospital’s economic operation is still unable to cover its expenses, the cash flow is seriously insufficient, and it is temporarily unable to pay the housing provident fund;
The hospital is a unit of difference, and the required funds can only be raised by the unit itself. At present, the hospital is in the stage of development and climbing. Every year, only in terms of wages and the expenditure of five insurances and one housing fund for employees A lot of money is required to pay.
Attorney Shen Binti, equity partner of Beijing Zhongwen Law Firm, told the “Medical Think Tank” that the suspension of employees’ housing provident fund will affect the bank’s credit line (employees with a high payment ratio or a high limit) , sometimes the line of credit will increase), and affect the related rights and interests of people who want to use the housing provident fund loan to buy a house. She said that the current “Labor Law” and “Labor Contract Law” do not directly and clearly stipulate the payment of housing provident fund.
According to Chongqing Youyang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County Health and Health Commission’s previous reply to relevant online help workers:
According to Article 2 of the Regulations on the Administration of Housing Provident Fund, housing provident fund refers to state organs, state-owned enterprises, urban collective enterprises, foreign-invested enterprises, urban private enterprises and other urban enterprises and institutions. , Long-term housing funds deposited by private non-enterprise units, social groups and their on-the-job employees. You are a temporary nurse in a public hospital in our county, and you are an on-the-job employee of a “public institution” referred to in the regulations. Your unit should withhold and pay the housing provident fund for you.
That is, as long as the employee has a labor contract relationship with the hospital, the employer must pay the provident fund, regardless of whether it is in the compilation or not.
A human resources expert revealed to the “Medical Think Tank” that according to Articles 13, 14 and 15 of the State Council’s “Housing Provident Fund Management Regulations” Registration, establishment of unit housing provident fund accounts, or the establishment of individual housing provident fund accounts for on-the-job employees, or the normal monthly remittance of housing provident fund, the units “should” handle. “Should” means “must” and “mandatory” in law.
Source: Medical Think Tank
Editor in charge: Zheng Huaju
Proofreading: Zang Hengjia
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