Shih Chung-Liang: Focusing on Salary Increases and Workplace Safety to Provide Strong Support for Nurses
Taiwan's Minister of Health and Welfare, Shih Chung-Liang, expressed gratitude to nurses at the 15th Florence Nightingale Award ceremony, emphasizing that the government will strengthen support for the nursing profession through three key areas: substantial salary increases, reduced workload, and enhanced workplace safety.
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CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY
(Central News Agency reporter Shen Pei-Yao, Taipei, 2nd) "Investing in nursing is investing in the future," said Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-Liang today at the 15th Florence Nightingale Award ceremony, where he thanked nurses for their dedication. He emphasized that the government will provide strong backing for nursing professionals through three major aspects: substantial salary increases, reduced workload, and workplace safety.
On the eve of International Nurses Day on May 12, the Cih Yueh Social Welfare Charity Foundation held the 15th Florence Nightingale Award ceremony today. The team gold prize was awarded to the Emergency Nursing Team of Kaohsiung Municipal Siaogang Hospital, while the silver prizes went to the Nursing Resilience Promotion Group of Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital and the Adolescent Day Treatment Sunflower Garden of the Department of Psychiatry at Taipei Veterans General Hospital.
Premier Cho Jung-tai, attending the awards ceremony, stated in his speech that the government continues to supplement nursing talent, enhance retention incentives, promote exemplary workplace certification, and implement integrated inpatient care services to create a more comprehensive workplace, reasonable treatment, and welfare for nurses.
Chung Hui-Chun, Director of the Nursing Department and representative of Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, who spoke next, called out on the spot: "If national policy is to enable nurses to fulfill their potential, the most basic demand is to legislate nurse-patient ratios. If the government sees nurses demonstrate the spirit of Nightingale, that would be the best gift for Nurses Day." Before her words ended, the venue erupted in warm applause and cheers.
"I cannot but respond (to the demands of the nursing community)," Shih Chung-Liang said in his speech, pointing out that the three-shift nurse-patient ratio has been promoted through incentives since last year. From an initial 30% compliance, it has now increased to 70%, and the government will continue to promote it, launching immediately after revising relevant standards.
Shih Chung-Liang also mentioned that another issue to address is medical violence. "Whoever dares to commit violence against nurses, we will prosecute them to the end, until the perpetrator has nowhere to escape." The goal is to create a friendly, healthy workplace environment where nurses can fully utilize their professional skills without fear, and feel the value of "I nurse, I am proud."
He also noted that the average point value of National Health Insurance rebounded to 0.977 last year, indicating that most hospitals are now profitable. He urged hospital directors on the spot to "give bonuses to nursing colleagues substantially," and humorously told the medical staff below, "If you haven't received a raise, privately tell me which hospital it is, and I will look into it."
Regarding the "evaluation" and "handover" that cause the most pressure for nursing colleagues, Shih Chung-Liang also proposed concrete countermeasures. He said that hospital evaluations will be changed from every 4 years to every 6 years, and informatization and digitalization will be fully promoted to reduce unnecessary paperwork. "We don't want everyone to consider resigning before every evaluation." Simultaneously, smart nursing will be promoted, utilizing digital tools to simplify nursing records and handover processes, along with measures such as increasing auxiliary staff to reduce workload. (Editor: Huang Ming-Hsi) 1150502
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(Central News Agency reporter Shen Pei-Yao, Taipei, 2nd) "Investing in nursing is investing in the future," said Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-Liang today at the 15th Florence Nightingale Award ceremony, where he thanked nurses for their dedication. He emphasized that the government will provide strong backing for nursing professionals through three major aspects: substantial salary increases, reduced workload, and workplace safety.
On the eve of International Nurses Day on May 12, the Cih Yueh Social Welfare Charity Foundation held the 15th Florence Nightingale Award ceremony today. The team gold prize was awarded to the Emergency Nursing Team of Kaohsiung Municipal Siaogang Hospital, while the silver prizes went to the Nursing Resilience Promotion Group of Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital and the Adolescent Day Treatment Sunflower Garden of the Department of Psychiatry at Taipei Veterans General Hospital.
Premier Cho Jung-tai, attending the awards ceremony, stated in his speech that the government continues to supplement nursing talent, enhance retention incentives, promote exemplary workplace certification, and implement integrated inpatient care services to create a more comprehensive workplace, reasonable treatment, and welfare for nurses.
Chung Hui-Chun, Director of the Nursing Department and representative of Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, who spoke next, called out on the spot: "If national policy is to enable nurses to fulfill their potential, the most basic demand is to legislate nurse-patient ratios. If the government sees nurses demonstrate the spirit of Nightingale, that would be the best gift for Nurses Day." Before her words ended, the venue erupted in warm applause and cheers.
"I cannot but respond (to the demands of the nursing community)," Shih Chung-Liang said in his speech, pointing out that the three-shift nurse-patient ratio has been promoted through incentives since last year. From an initial 30% compliance, it has now increased to 70%, and the government will continue to promote it, launching immediately after revising relevant standards.
Shih Chung-Liang also mentioned that another issue to address is medical violence. "Whoever dares to commit violence against nurses, we will prosecute them to the end, until the perpetrator has nowhere to escape." The goal is to create a friendly, healthy workplace environment where nurses can fully utilize their professional skills without fear, and feel the value of "I nurse, I am proud."
He also noted that the average point value of National Health Insurance rebounded to 0.977 last year, indicating that most hospitals are now profitable. He urged hospital directors on the spot to "give bonuses to nursing colleagues substantially," and humorously told the medical staff below, "If you haven't received a raise, privately tell me which hospital it is, and I will look into it."
Regarding the "evaluation" and "handover" that cause the most pressure for nursing colleagues, Shih Chung-Liang also proposed concrete countermeasures. He said that hospital evaluations will be changed from every 4 years to every 6 years, and informatization and digitalization will be fully promoted to reduce unnecessary paperwork. "We don't want everyone to consider resigning before every evaluation." Simultaneously, smart nursing will be promoted, utilizing digital tools to simplify nursing records and handover processes, along with measures such as increasing auxiliary staff to reduce workload. (Editor: Huang Ming-Hsi) 1150502
Choose to stand with facts. Every sponsorship you provide is a force for protecting press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.