Clipping Board » Medical Affairs and Administration ─ Medical system, pharmaceuticals, and medical community-related reports
United Daily News / Reporters Li Shunde, Shi Jingru / Taipei Report 2012.04.18
The Control Yuan's investigation found that the Executive Yuan's implementation of the two-day weekend policy lacked supporting mechanisms, coupled with distortions in the National Health Insurance payment system. Hospitals, in pursuit of higher "volume," have overburdened medical and nursing staff. On average, one nurse is responsible for 13.5 patients, endangering patient safety. In one public hospital, a single nurse was even assigned to care for 63 patients, nearly causing a disaster.
The Control Yuan believes that the exhaustion of medical personnel has led to the phenomenon of "blood-and-sweat hospitals," which is also a national security issue that warrants attention from the authorities. The Control Yuan has issued corrective measures against the Executive Yuan, the Department of Health, and the Council of Labor Affairs. Control Yuan member Yin Zuoqian, a former nursing director at the Veterans General Hospital, spent a year investigating this case and stated that she still feels "deep sorrow and heartache" after the investigation.
The investigative report submitted by Control Yuan members Yin Zuoqian, Qian Linhuijun, Lin Julang, and Li Fudian pointed out that over the past four years, more than 30% of hospitals violated the Labor Standards Act in annual labor inspections.
Yin Zuoqian noted that when the Executive Yuan announced the implementation of the "two-day weekend policy for civil servants," it failed to consider hospital staffing needs, leading to a sudden 9% reduction in full-time medical personnel at public hospitals. This marked the beginning of the overall strain and exhaustion of medical staff.
She said that hospitals, to cut personnel costs, prefer hiring contract workers over full-time staff, which has also led to grievances over unequal pay for equal work. To reduce personnel expenses, National Cheng Kung University Hospital employs over 200 contract workers. However, contract workers frequently resign, with eight out of ten being new hires, often becoming targets of exploitation.
Nurses frequently work overtime, with four to five extra hours per day being the norm. Of Taiwan's 130,000 nurses, 100,000 are of childbearing age, yet most avoid marriage and childbirth due to excessive fatigue and health risks, posing dangers to patients.
The nationwide shortage of hospital nurses exceeds 7,000. Yin Zuoqian described white-collar medical workers as being exploited like "battle tops," while pharmacists are likened to "drug-dispensing robotic arms," handling over 100 prescriptions a day.
The hospital staffing standard originally required one nurse per four beds. President Ma Ying-jeou promised to reduce this to one nurse per three beds, but in practice, the ratio often reaches 1:15. This is akin to a chef managing ten boiling pots at once—nurse-to-patient ratios have reached absurdly excessive levels.
In response to the Control Yuan's corrective measures, Shih Chung-liang, Director of the Department of Medical Affairs at the Department of Health, stated that they respect the decision and will take the criticism seriously. The Department of Health has already begun increasing medical personnel.
Shih Chung-liang said that on the 9th of this month, the Department of Health announced a revised medical institution staffing standard, raising the number of nursing and other medical personnel. The previous requirement of one nurse per four beds has been adjusted to one nurse per three beds. Staffing for pharmacists, medical technicians, radiologists, and nutritionists has also been increased, moving toward a more reasonable workforce allocation.
Source: http://udn. com/ NEWS/ NATIONAL/ NATS6/ 7035188. shtml
Sweatshop Hospitals: Control Yuan Corrects Executive Yuan, DOH, CLA
The Control Yuan's investigation found that the Executive Yuan's implementation of the two-day weekend policy lacked supporting mechanisms, coupled with distortions in the National Health Insurance payment system. Hospitals, in pursuit of higher "volume," have overburdened medical and nursing staff. On average, one nurse is responsible for 13.5 patients, endangering patient safety. In one public hospital, a single nurse was even assigned to care for 63 patients, nearly causing a disaster.
The Control Yuan believes that the exhaustion of medical personnel has led to the phenomenon of "blood-and-sweat hospitals," which is also a national security issue that warrants attention from the authorities. The Control Yuan has issued corrective measures against the Executive Yuan, the Department of Health, and the Council of Labor Affairs. Control Yuan member Yin Zuoqian, a former nursing director at the Veterans General Hospital, spent a year investigating this case and stated that she still feels "deep sorrow and heartache" after the investigation.
The investigative report submitted by Control Yuan members Yin Zuoqian, Qian Linhuijun, Lin Julang, and Li Fudian pointed out that over the past four years, more than 30% of hospitals violated the Labor Standards Act in annual labor inspections.
Yin Zuoqian noted that when the Executive Yuan announced the implementation of the "two-day weekend policy for civil servants," it failed to consider hospital staffing needs, leading to a sudden 9% reduction in full-time medical personnel at public hospitals. This marked the beginning of the overall strain and exhaustion of medical staff.
She said that hospitals, to cut personnel costs, prefer hiring contract workers over full-time staff, which has also led to grievances over unequal pay for equal work. To reduce personnel expenses, National Cheng Kung University Hospital employs over 200 contract workers. However, contract workers frequently resign, with eight out of ten being new hires, often becoming targets of exploitation.
Nurses frequently work overtime, with four to five extra hours per day being the norm. Of Taiwan's 130,000 nurses, 100,000 are of childbearing age, yet most avoid marriage and childbirth due to excessive fatigue and health risks, posing dangers to patients.
The nationwide shortage of hospital nurses exceeds 7,000. Yin Zuoqian described white-collar medical workers as being exploited like "battle tops," while pharmacists are likened to "drug-dispensing robotic arms," handling over 100 prescriptions a day.
The hospital staffing standard originally required one nurse per four beds. President Ma Ying-jeou promised to reduce this to one nurse per three beds, but in practice, the ratio often reaches 1:15. This is akin to a chef managing ten boiling pots at once—nurse-to-patient ratios have reached absurdly excessive levels.
In response to the Control Yuan's corrective measures, Shih Chung-liang, Director of the Department of Medical Affairs at the Department of Health, stated that they respect the decision and will take the criticism seriously. The Department of Health has already begun increasing medical personnel.
Shih Chung-liang said that on the 9th of this month, the Department of Health announced a revised medical institution staffing standard, raising the number of nursing and other medical personnel. The previous requirement of one nurse per four beds has been adjusted to one nurse per three beds. Staffing for pharmacists, medical technicians, radiologists, and nutritionists has also been increased, moving toward a more reasonable workforce allocation.
Source: http://udn. com/ NEWS/ NATIONAL/ NATS6/ 7035188. shtml