Short-term support needed
Taiwan has been an aging society for some time. The government has established a long-term care system, providing services and facilities to take care of the elderly and the disabled. The government should also provide assistance for short-term care, which is usually more urgently needed and expensive.
In an emergency room or operating room, the patients’ family members, relatives or friends are always there, waiting anxiously. They worry about how they could cope with the sudden changes as a result of the patients’ injuries or illness.
Their lives are very likely to be disrupted due to their financial circumstances and the urgent need to take care of the patients. Their work and careers might be affected as well. They need to be at the hospital to take care of the patients, and they have to take days off from work. It is unfortunate that some might have to quit their jobs because of company regulations.
The costs of a daily intensive care unit or surgical treatment are astronomical. When the patient is transferred to a general ward, the nursing fees are a few thousand New Taiwan dollars per day (The going rate is between NT$2,500 and NT$3,500 for a 24-hour caregiver). There are also basic medical expenses to be counted. For everything, one would have to spend more than NT$100,000 per month. How many people could afford all of this? It is unfortunate but true that the poor simply cannot afford to become ill.
The government could provide some subsidies for those in need of short-term care, as it does for those relying on the long-term care system. The following suggestions might be helpful:
First, family members of a patient who needs to stay in an intensive care unit, with valid proof from the hospital, should be able to apply for short-term caregiver assistance for a month beforehand, so that when the patient is transferred to a general ward, they do not have to worry about this issue.
Second, if a patient is admitted to a general ward and is diagnosed as unable to walk or eat on their own, they should be able to apply for short-term care assistance provided by a professional caregiver.
Third, when the patient is discharged from the hospital, with a doctor’s diagnosis of being incapable of walking or eating on their own, they could apply for professional short-term care services for up to two months.
Fourth, similar to the current long-term care system, the aforementioned applicants could keep applying for the assistance by using the Barthel index until long-term care services are available to them.
With the short-term care services above, family members could stay employed and earn a stable income, and their companies could operate without disruption. It would also help foreign professional caregivers in Taiwan to be transferred in a more convenient way, so that the problem of high fees for hiring a short-term caregiver could be solved.
This would also refine the management of short-term caregivers and lower the expenses for such services without causing major changes or humanitarian issues.
Hsu Yu-min
Taipei
As strategic tensions escalate across the vast Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan has emerged as more than a potential flashpoint. It is the fulcrum upon which the credibility of the evolving American-led strategy of integrated deterrence now rests. How the US and regional powers like Japan respond to Taiwan’s defense, and how credible the deterrent against Chinese aggression proves to be, will profoundly shape the Indo-Pacific security architecture for years to come. A successful defense of Taiwan through strengthened deterrence in the Indo-Pacific would enhance the credibility of the US-led alliance system and underpin America’s global preeminence, while a failure of integrated deterrence would
It is being said every second day: The ongoing recall campaign in Taiwan — where citizens are trying to collect enough signatures to trigger re-elections for a number of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators — is orchestrated by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), or even President William Lai (賴清德) himself. The KMT makes the claim, and foreign media and analysts repeat it. However, they never show any proof — because there is not any. It is alarming how easily academics, journalists and experts toss around claims that amount to accusing a democratic government of conspiracy — without a shred of evidence. These
Taiwan is confronting escalating threats from its behemoth neighbor. Last month, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army conducted live-fire drills in the East China Sea, practicing blockades and precision strikes on simulated targets, while its escalating cyberattacks targeting government, financial and telecommunication systems threaten to disrupt Taiwan’s digital infrastructure. The mounting geopolitical pressure underscores Taiwan’s need to strengthen its defense capabilities to deter possible aggression and improve civilian preparedness. The consequences of inadequate preparation have been made all too clear by the tragic situation in Ukraine. Taiwan can build on its successful COVID-19 response, marked by effective planning and execution, to enhance
Since taking office, US President Donald Trump has upheld the core goals of “making America safer, stronger, and more prosperous,” fully implementing an “America first” policy. Countries have responded cautiously to the fresh style and rapid pace of the new Trump administration. The US has prioritized reindustrialization, building a stronger US role in the Indo-Pacific, and countering China’s malicious influence. This has created a high degree of alignment between the interests of Taiwan and the US in security, economics, technology and other spheres. Taiwan must properly understand the Trump administration’s intentions and coordinate, connect and correspond with US strategic goals.
RSS