Nurse-Patient Ratio Law to Take Effect in 2 Years, 6 Hospital Unions Declare: Shifting Blame and Shirking Responsibility
Six hospital unions in Taiwan have issued a joint statement criticizing the Ministry of Health and Welfare for the two-year buffer period and unresolved issues in the calculation formula for the nurse-patient ratio law, calling it an act of shifting blame and shirking responsibility. They demand equal consultation to restore trust.
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- 📰 Published: May 9, 2026 at 21:50
- 🔍 Collected: May 9, 2026 at 22:01 (11 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 9, 2026 at 22:04 (2 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency, Reporter Shen Pei-yao, Taipei, May 9th) The nurse-patient ratio law is expected to take effect in May 2028. Six hospital unions today issued a joint statement, stating that delaying it for another two years is an act of shifting blame and shirking responsibility, and that refusing to correct the 'black box' issues in the formula is tantamount to whitewashing data. They urge the Ministry of Health and Welfare to implement equal consultation to restore trust.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the nurse-patient ratio standards in 2024: for medical centers, 1:6 for day shifts, 1:9 for evening shifts, and 1:11 for night shifts; for regional hospitals, 1:7 for day shifts, 1:11 for evening shifts, and 1:13 for night shifts; for local hospitals, 1:10 for day shifts, 1:13 for evening shifts, and 1:15 for night shifts. Statistics show an overall compliance rate of about 70%, with day shifts reaching 90%.
The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed the third reading of amendments to parts of the Medical Act, officially legalizing the nurse-patient ratio. Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang subsequently explained that nursing groups hoped for implementation in December 2027, but considering factors such as year-end and long Lunar New Year holidays, it is expected to be implemented on May 1, 2028, after discussion.
Six hospital unions expressed dissatisfaction with the result and today issued a joint statement, stating that when the Ministry of Health and Welfare convened a meeting to explain the implementation schedule for the 'Medical Institution Establishment Standards,' it not only ignored the long-standing important demands of union groups to correct the 'black box' and average value omissions but also forcefully set a two-year 'buffer period,' which they strongly condemn.
The statement pointed out that the two-year buffer period essentially betrays President Lai Ching-te's promise, 'basically declaring that within President Lai's current term, no illegal hospital will receive any substantial penalties such as fines or closure.'
The statement reiterated that the central government has already spent tens of billions of taxpayers' money to cover hospitals' personnel costs. Now, with the Legislative Yuan's third reading and legalization, the Ministry of Health and Welfare not only fails to expedite the process but 'instead, as always, protects hospital employers, insisting on disregarding patient safety and nurses' labor rights, which is regrettable.'
The statement also mentioned that there are three major problems in the calculation of the nurse-patient ratio: first, the 'black box' issue where isolation and hospice beds are not included in the care workload; second, the distortion issue of using the monthly average for the entire hospital; and third, the illegal issue of lacking audit mechanisms for hospital-reported data. These are all major omissions that union groups have long urged the Ministry of Health and Welfare to comprehensively review and correct.
The unions believe that the disputes and discussions arising from the amendment of the Medical Act fully reflect the high level of distrust accumulated by nursing staff regarding their past participation in Ministry of Health and Welfare policy meetings. Facing the long-standing calls from grassroots nurses to accelerate legalization and clearly reflect various major omissions in the current calculation formula, 'the Ministry of Health and Welfare has consistently refused to correct and has shirked responsibility.'
The statement finally emphasized that there is no clear causal relationship between the design of a pure consultation mechanism and whether medical personnel's demands can be adopted. The core always lies in what attitude the Ministry of Health and Welfare holds towards the grassroots and whether it adheres to democratic and scientific principles in policy research and formulation. They urge the Ministry of Health and Welfare to immediately review and implement equal consultation to restore trust.
Six unions include the National Taiwan University Hospital Enterprise Union, National Taiwan University Hospital Cancer Center Enterprise Union, National Cheng Kung University Hospital Enterprise Union, Taipei Veterans General Hospital Enterprise Union, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital Enterprise Union, and Cheng Hsin General Hospital Enterprise Union. (Editor: Huang Ming-hsi) 1150509
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(Central News Agency, Reporter Shen Pei-yao, Taipei, May 9th) The nurse-patient ratio law is expected to take effect in May 2028. Six hospital unions today issued a joint statement, stating that delaying it for another two years is an act of shifting blame and shirking responsibility, and that refusing to correct the 'black box' issues in the formula is tantamount to whitewashing data. They urge the Ministry of Health and Welfare to implement equal consultation to restore trust.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the nurse-patient ratio standards in 2024: for medical centers, 1:6 for day shifts, 1:9 for evening shifts, and 1:11 for night shifts; for regional hospitals, 1:7 for day shifts, 1:11 for evening shifts, and 1:13 for night shifts; for local hospitals, 1:10 for day shifts, 1:13 for evening shifts, and 1:15 for night shifts. Statistics show an overall compliance rate of about 70%, with day shifts reaching 90%.
The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed the third reading of amendments to parts of the Medical Act, officially legalizing the nurse-patient ratio. Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang subsequently explained that nursing groups hoped for implementation in December 2027, but considering factors such as year-end and long Lunar New Year holidays, it is expected to be implemented on May 1, 2028, after discussion.
Six hospital unions expressed dissatisfaction with the result and today issued a joint statement, stating that when the Ministry of Health and Welfare convened a meeting to explain the implementation schedule for the 'Medical Institution Establishment Standards,' it not only ignored the long-standing important demands of union groups to correct the 'black box' and average value omissions but also forcefully set a two-year 'buffer period,' which they strongly condemn.
The statement pointed out that the two-year buffer period essentially betrays President Lai Ching-te's promise, 'basically declaring that within President Lai's current term, no illegal hospital will receive any substantial penalties such as fines or closure.'
The statement reiterated that the central government has already spent tens of billions of taxpayers' money to cover hospitals' personnel costs. Now, with the Legislative Yuan's third reading and legalization, the Ministry of Health and Welfare not only fails to expedite the process but 'instead, as always, protects hospital employers, insisting on disregarding patient safety and nurses' labor rights, which is regrettable.'
The statement also mentioned that there are three major problems in the calculation of the nurse-patient ratio: first, the 'black box' issue where isolation and hospice beds are not included in the care workload; second, the distortion issue of using the monthly average for the entire hospital; and third, the illegal issue of lacking audit mechanisms for hospital-reported data. These are all major omissions that union groups have long urged the Ministry of Health and Welfare to comprehensively review and correct.
The unions believe that the disputes and discussions arising from the amendment of the Medical Act fully reflect the high level of distrust accumulated by nursing staff regarding their past participation in Ministry of Health and Welfare policy meetings. Facing the long-standing calls from grassroots nurses to accelerate legalization and clearly reflect various major omissions in the current calculation formula, 'the Ministry of Health and Welfare has consistently refused to correct and has shirked responsibility.'
The statement finally emphasized that there is no clear causal relationship between the design of a pure consultation mechanism and whether medical personnel's demands can be adopted. The core always lies in what attitude the Ministry of Health and Welfare holds towards the grassroots and whether it adheres to democratic and scientific principles in policy research and formulation. They urge the Ministry of Health and Welfare to immediately review and implement equal consultation to restore trust.
Six unions include the National Taiwan University Hospital Enterprise Union, National Taiwan University Hospital Cancer Center Enterprise Union, National Cheng Kung University Hospital Enterprise Union, Taipei Veterans General Hospital Enterprise Union, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital Enterprise Union, and Cheng Hsin General Hospital Enterprise Union. (Editor: Huang Ming-hsi) 1150509
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency 'First-hand News' APP to get the latest news instantly.
Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.