Efforts must be made to guarantee reasonable salaries for medical workers to ensure their enthusiasm in serving the people, Premier Li Keqiang said at the State Council executive meeting on June 9, which decided on measures to deepen reform of the salary system at public hospitals.

Medical workers protect people's lives and health and have made great contributions to the fight against COVID-19, Premier Li said at the meeting. Many of them have a dreadfully heavy workload each day, he added.

At present, it is still a major problem for patients with serious illness to receive medical treatment, especially at grade-III hospitals in big cities, due to the limited capacity, the Premier noted.

To resolve the difficulties, reform of related support systems must be pushed ahead through this salary system reform, he said.

The meeting decided to improve salary level standards at public hospitals. Salary levels at public hospitals should be adjusted while ensuring no increase in people's overall medical burden and should give favor to those with heavy tasks in public welfare or engaged in scientific research and teaching. Total salaries should also be increased based on workload and service quality of hospitals in different tiers.

It was also decided to put in place public hospitals' autonomy in salary distribution. Efforts should be made to improve a performance-based salary system that tilts toward key and badly needed posts and medical workers with outstanding performance.

Appropriate raises should be given to junior doctors, it was also decided.