Three-Shift Nurse-to-Patient Ratio Enacted into Law, Cheng Li-wen: KMT Will Be Nurses' Strong Backing

(Central News Agency, Reporter Liu Guanting, Taipei, 12th) The Legislative Yuan passed the third reading of the Medical Act amendment, officially enacting the three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio into law. KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wen stated today that this is only the first step, and only by ensuring healthcare professionals can work without worries can the overall medical standard truly be improved. The KMT will be the strongest backing for nurses.

The Legislative Yuan passed the third reading of some articles of the Medical Act on the 8th, officially enacting the three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio into law. Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang explained that nursing groups hope it will be implemented in December 2027, but considering factors such as the end of the year and the long Lunar New Year holiday, it is expected to be implemented on May 1, 2028, after discussion.

Cheng Li-wen attended the "2026 National Outstanding Nursing Personnel Commendation Conference" today and presented commendation certificates to outstanding nursing personnel. Cheng Li-wen stated that with the long-term efforts of KMT legislators such as Su Ching-chuan, the three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio was finally successfully enacted into law, but this is only the first step, and a more comprehensive system guarantee is needed in the future.

Cheng Li-wen believes that when the Legislative Yuan promotes laws that benefit the country and the people, the Democratic Progressive Party often delays for various reasons; nurses care for patients at the bedside and never ask "which party are you from," so why should partisan calculations be included when discussing healthcare professionals' treatment in the legislature? This is too unfair and disrespectful to nurses.

She stated that today should not be about nurses begging the high-and-mighty government or political parties, but rather about what the government and political parties should have done and should have done long ago; it is society that owes the great nurses, not nurses who have sacrificed and dedicated themselves and still have to beg. Taiwanese society often says it knows how to be grateful, simple, and kind, but this value must truly be implemented in systems and daily life.

Cheng Li-wen said that in the future, whether the KMT is in opposition or in power, it will fully prioritize the needs, dignity, and welfare of nurses. During the past epidemic, the KMT also fully fought for the rights and interests of healthcare professionals in the Legislative Yuan, because at that time, the government's many subsidies and promises were empty promises, visible but unattainable, and when truly implemented, they were discounted. She participated in these processes throughout and understood the hard work of healthcare professionals even more deeply.

Cheng Li-wen emphasized that only by ensuring healthcare professionals have no worries can the overall medical standard truly be improved, and only then will the younger generation be willing to join the nursing profession. The KMT will continue to work hard to be the strongest backing for nurses. (Editors: Zhai Sijia, Wu Surou) 1150512

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