Taiwan Statebuilding Party Legislator Chen Po-wei (陳柏惟) yesterday asked Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) to offer monetary compensation to medical personnel who have to forgo overseas travel due to a travel ban amid a COVID-19 outbreak.
There has been an increase in the workload of medical personnel since the novel coronavirus reached Taiwan, and they have been asked not to travel to countries and regions affected by the virus, Chen said at a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Yuan.
Medical personnel live in fear of contracting the virus and have come under immense pressure from some members of the public, he said, adding that some couriers refuse to deliver food to hospitals.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Chen asked Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) how many medical personnel have been placed under travel restrictions, how much the government plans to compensate them daily and how the Ministry of Health and Welfare intends to spend its proposed NT$16.9 billion (US$561.7 million) slice of a NT$60 billion special budget for containing the epidemic and bailing out affected sectors.
About 320,000 medical personnel, including physicians, nurses and pharmacists, have been asked not to travel to countries and regions affected by the coronavirus, Chen Shih-chung said, adding that all of them would be compensated.
The ministry has set aside NT$1.8 billion for the research and development of drugs to treat COVID-19, NT$2 billion for compensating medical personnel and NT$4 billion to make up for possible shortfalls in these expenses, he added.
Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics Minister Chu Tzer-ming (朱澤民) said that of the personnel treating COVID-19 patients, physicians would receive a daily subsidy of NT$10,000, nurses NT$5,000 per day and administrative workers NT$1,500.
Chen Po-wei said that the outbreak has reaffirmed the nation’s sovereignty, as some Taiwanese entertainers who had been Chinese “lapdogs” have suddenly become “proud Taiwanese,” adding that people who view this as a positive development should thank medical personnel combating the epidemic.
Su said that the government imposed the travel restrictions not because it wants medical personnel to work longer, but because 67 nations have been affected by the coronavirus.
The government would reimburse medical personnel for any losses they incur as a result of the travel restrictions, including any fees that have to be forfeited, he said.
International observers had predicted that Taiwan would be the second-most affected nation from COVID-19 after China, but the epidemic has been brought under control domestically, Su said, thanking all medical personnel who have dedicated themselves to containing the virus.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Finance and other concerned agencies would fine tune subsidy and compensation rules in the interests of medical personnel, he said.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS