Ministry of Health and Welfare Plans to Amend Nurse-Patient Ratio Standards, Hospital Unions Call for Simultaneous Amendment to Medical Act

Central News Agency

(Central News Agency reporter Shen Pei-Yao, Taipei, 30th) The three-shift nurse-patient ratio will be revised in the direction of amending the standards for the establishment of medical institutions. Six major hospital labor unions today issued a joint statement, stating that amending the establishment standards and the Medical Act (parent law) are not in conflict, and calling for simultaneous amendments to ensure effective implementation.

Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-Liang recently stated that the Ministry will soon establish a "Medical Workforce Optimization Research and Promotion Task Force," with the three-shift nurse-patient ratio as its first agenda item. He explained yesterday that, in principle, discussions and revisions will proceed based on the standards for the establishment of medical institutions authorized by the Medical Act.

The six major hospital labor unions today jointly issued a statement pointing out that the three-shift nurse-patient ratio was a political promise made by President Lai Ching-Te in 2023, declaring its implementation within two years. Now, the deadline has passed, and if it is delayed until 2029, it will be handed over to the next president and administrative team, which is undoubtedly a betrayal of political promises and a clear shirking of responsibility.

The statement mentioned that the overall compliance rate for the three-shift nurse-patient ratio has reached nearly 80-90%, and all conditions are mature and stable. The Ministry of Health and Welfare should accelerate the legislative process and implementation schedule. While amending the establishment standards can ensure future implementation flexibility and revision efficiency, the parent law also has room for discussion, and they are not in conflict. The Ministry of Health and Welfare should consider how to amend them simultaneously to ensure effective implementation.

In the statement, they called on the Ministry of Health and Welfare to consider how to incorporate the opinions of grassroots unions and frontline nursing staff, participate in substantive decision-making, and ensure supervision, penalties, and even business suspension during future enforcement, to avoid situations where local health authorities act as both players and referees. This can be achieved through the integration and refinement of implementation aspects via the Medical Act amendment.

Furthermore, the statement emphasized that whether it is doctors or nurses, or the entire medical industry, every personnel working in various medical units, across different age groups, and with various work experiences, may naturally have different ideas and expressions regarding the same policy. Some groups rashly claim to represent the "medical community" or "nursing community," ignoring the diverse voices within the medical industry, which is clearly not a mature manifestation of a democratic society.

The six major hospital labor unions include the Enterprise Union of National Taiwan University Hospital, the Enterprise Union of National Taiwan University Hospital Cancer Center Branch, the Enterprise Union of National Cheng Kung University Hospital, the Enterprise Union of Taipei Veterans General Hospital, the Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital Enterprise Union, and the Cheng Hsin General Hospital Enterprise Union. (Edited by Chen Ching-Fang) 1150430

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