Thousands of nurses angrily protest in the rain, besieging Ministry of Health and Welfare demanding nurse-to-patient ratio legalization
Thousands of nurses in Taiwan protested outside the Ministry of Health and Welfare, demanding the immediate legalization of nurse-to-patient ratios, citing delays and concerns over patient safety. The Ministry promised a substantive discussion on May 8 to address their demands.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 5, 2026 at 13:38
- 🔍 Collected: May 5, 2026 at 14:01 (23 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 5, 2026 at 14:25 (23 min after Collected)
(Central News Agency reporter Shen Pei-yao, Taipei, 5th) Dissatisfied with the delayed timeline for legalizing the three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio, nursing groups today gathered over a thousand people to besiege the Ministry of Health and Welfare in protest, submitting a petition letter. Cai Shu-feng, Director of the Ministry's Department of Nursing and Health Care, accepted the letter and promised that a substantive discussion would be held on May 8, emphasizing that the system would support nursing in the future.
President Lai Ching-te had pledged to legalize the three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio within two years of taking office, and the Executive Yuan passed the "12 Strategies Plan for Strengthening Nursing Manpower Policy" in July 2024, which included the goal of legalizing the three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio within two years and achieving the target within four years. With the two-year deadline approaching, the Ministry of Health and Welfare instead proposed revising the establishment standards, drawing dissatisfaction from the nursing community.
Nursing groups gathered over a thousand people in the rain this morning to besiege the Ministry of Health and Welfare, shouting slogans such as "Legalization is urgent," "If nursing collapses, healthcare collapses, and the public collapses together," and "Reject policy inaction," with some representatives even falling to the ground to express their discontent. They tied yellow ribbons with the words "Three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio must be legalized."
"The standards were announced over two years ago, why has it not been legalized?" said Chen Li-chin, president of the Nurses' Association of the Republic of China. She pointed out that the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio standards as early as 2024 and allocated over NT$6 billion in incentives annually. Since both standards and funding are available, the legalization process has been stalled for over two years, completely disregarding patient safety and quality of care.
Chen Li-chin called out to Minister of Health and Welfare Shi Chong-liang, emphasizing that they reject any compromise on the nurse-to-patient ratio standards and questioned whether the continuous restarting of discussions in the legalization process was an attempt to dilute the standards. She stated that the nursing community could rationally accept a "buffer period" but could not accept "inaction." Only through prompt legalization and the inclusion of penalties can a true safety firewall for nurses and patients be established.
Nursing groups put forward three specific demands: the government immediately amends the "Medical Institutions Establishment Standards" to officially legalize the three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio by May 20; the Ministry of Health and Welfare promptly drafts a legislative amendment bill and submits it to the Executive Yuan to revise Article 12 of the "Medical Care Act" to formally incorporate the three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio into legal status; and revise Article 102 of the same law to establish a deterrent punishment mechanism with reasonable penalties.
Cai Shu-feng, Director of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Department of Nursing and Health Care, who came out to accept the petition, promised that the Ministry would convene a meeting on May 8. At that time, the timeline for legalization and related supporting measures would be directly and substantively discussed. She emphasized that the system would support nursing in the future.
Cai Shu-feng stated that the three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio is a very important system for patient safety, nursing manpower, and medical sustainability. It requires direct and substantive discussion on legalization and related supporting measures. At the meeting, all aspects concerning the three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio, such as the legalization timeline and standard setting, which are of public concern, will be discussed simultaneously.
Nursing groups pointed out that according to the 2025 OECD report, Taiwan's number of hospital beds per thousand population is 7.29, far exceeding the OECD average of 4.3 beds, and bed density has reached 2.5 times that of Europe and America. Taiwan does not lack beds; what it lacks is manpower that stays.
Nursing groups urgently called for national legislation to establish a legally enforceable red line for manpower allocation to prevent indefinite delays. Without legal constraints on nurse-to-patient ratios, no matter how much supply is increased, it cannot be sustained in clinical practice. (Editor: Chang Ya-ching) 1150505
President Lai Ching-te had pledged to legalize the three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio within two years of taking office, and the Executive Yuan passed the "12 Strategies Plan for Strengthening Nursing Manpower Policy" in July 2024, which included the goal of legalizing the three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio within two years and achieving the target within four years. With the two-year deadline approaching, the Ministry of Health and Welfare instead proposed revising the establishment standards, drawing dissatisfaction from the nursing community.
Nursing groups gathered over a thousand people in the rain this morning to besiege the Ministry of Health and Welfare, shouting slogans such as "Legalization is urgent," "If nursing collapses, healthcare collapses, and the public collapses together," and "Reject policy inaction," with some representatives even falling to the ground to express their discontent. They tied yellow ribbons with the words "Three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio must be legalized."
"The standards were announced over two years ago, why has it not been legalized?" said Chen Li-chin, president of the Nurses' Association of the Republic of China. She pointed out that the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio standards as early as 2024 and allocated over NT$6 billion in incentives annually. Since both standards and funding are available, the legalization process has been stalled for over two years, completely disregarding patient safety and quality of care.
Chen Li-chin called out to Minister of Health and Welfare Shi Chong-liang, emphasizing that they reject any compromise on the nurse-to-patient ratio standards and questioned whether the continuous restarting of discussions in the legalization process was an attempt to dilute the standards. She stated that the nursing community could rationally accept a "buffer period" but could not accept "inaction." Only through prompt legalization and the inclusion of penalties can a true safety firewall for nurses and patients be established.
Nursing groups put forward three specific demands: the government immediately amends the "Medical Institutions Establishment Standards" to officially legalize the three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio by May 20; the Ministry of Health and Welfare promptly drafts a legislative amendment bill and submits it to the Executive Yuan to revise Article 12 of the "Medical Care Act" to formally incorporate the three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio into legal status; and revise Article 102 of the same law to establish a deterrent punishment mechanism with reasonable penalties.
Cai Shu-feng, Director of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Department of Nursing and Health Care, who came out to accept the petition, promised that the Ministry would convene a meeting on May 8. At that time, the timeline for legalization and related supporting measures would be directly and substantively discussed. She emphasized that the system would support nursing in the future.
Cai Shu-feng stated that the three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio is a very important system for patient safety, nursing manpower, and medical sustainability. It requires direct and substantive discussion on legalization and related supporting measures. At the meeting, all aspects concerning the three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio, such as the legalization timeline and standard setting, which are of public concern, will be discussed simultaneously.
Nursing groups pointed out that according to the 2025 OECD report, Taiwan's number of hospital beds per thousand population is 7.29, far exceeding the OECD average of 4.3 beds, and bed density has reached 2.5 times that of Europe and America. Taiwan does not lack beds; what it lacks is manpower that stays.
Nursing groups urgently called for national legislation to establish a legally enforceable red line for manpower allocation to prevent indefinite delays. Without legal constraints on nurse-to-patient ratios, no matter how much supply is increased, it cannot be sustained in clinical practice. (Editor: Chang Ya-ching) 1150505