A coalition of three medical workers’ unions yesterday called on the government to clarify the details of bonuses given to those contributing to epidemic prevention, and to expand the scope of the bonuses.
The coalition — made up of members of the Taipei Doctors’ Union, the Taipei City Hospital Labor Union and the Taiwan Society of Laboratory Medicine — made the comments at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
Article 2 of the Special Act on COVID-19 Prevention, Relief and Recovery (嚴重特殊傳染性肺炎防治及紓困振興特別條例) stipulates that individuals and institutions demonstrating achievements in preventing the spread of COVID-19 should be given compensation by the appropriate government institution, according to the nature of their work.
Photo: Tsai Ya-hua, Taipei Times
However, as it is currently worded the act does not cover some frontline medical workers, including radiologists and respiratory therapists, the coalition said.
It is also worded in a manner that allows medical institutions to be rewarded financially, but they are not obligated to distribute the money to frontline workers, it said, adding that frontline workers are putting their lives at risk every day to fight the disease.
The government should clarify how the bonuses are to be distributed, and include all frontline workers, it said.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare in a press release on March 19 specified that the bonuses applied to those caring for COVID-19 patients in negative-pressure isolation rooms, intensive care units and hospital wards established specifically for the care of COVID-19 patients.
The central government is handing out NT$10,000 bonuses to doctors and nurses working with COVID-19 patients — on a daily basis for doctors and on a per-shift basis for nurses, Taipei Doctors Union president Ellery Huang (黃致翰) said, citing the press release.
However, a shortage of staff has meant that while some nurses are working eight hours straight, others are working up to 12 hours straight, he said.
“Do they both receive the same NT$10,000 bonus?” he asked.
Some workers who need to be near patients infected with COVID-19, such as cleaners, are not even being considered for a bonus, despite their hard work and the risk to their safety, he said.
Nurses are also required to work with numerous patients, thereby increasing their risk, but are only eligible for the standard bonus, Taipei City Hospital Labor Union director Lien Jo-hsin (連若馨) said.
Also, in emergency situations when a patient’s condition deteriorates, more staff members need to tend to them, thereby spreading the risk to more people, he said.
Supplementary stipends provided through the act are also not being evenly distributed, as doctors at some larger hospitals can receive an additional NT$5,000 per application, while those at some smaller hospitals are not at all eligible for the stipends, Huang said.
Laboratories nationwide are testing up to 3,800 samples daily for COVID-19 infection, but are relying on the same number of technicians as previously, Taiwan Society of Laboratory Medicine spokesperson Tu Yun-hung (涂昀吰) said, adding that lab workers should be included in the rewards scheme.
The government must also re-examine the distribution of lab technicians to prevent labs from being overburdened, he added.
Radiologists are also being overstretched, as they need to perform work for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients in addition to their regular workload, radiologist Wu Kun-lung (吳坤隆) said, adding that some radiologists have been working 24-hour shifts.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
RSS