TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s nursing shortage will reach 24,000 nurses this year, making the average wait for a hospital bed around two to three days, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MHOW).
Taiwan’s medical community called on the government to increase national health insurance allocations to support increased salaries for nursing staff. It also called for more subsidies for those entering the profession, as graduates of nursing programs typically enter in June each year.
One way to fill the gap, exacerbated by Taiwan’s super-aged population, is by attracting more nursing graduates. Higher pay can help ensure graduates do not get lured away by private clinics, per PTS.
When an elderly woman surnamed Chao (趙) suspected of kidney inflammation required hospitalization on Monday (June 3), no beds were available. Since the pandemic, major hospitals across Taiwan have been experiencing bed shortages.
The number of patients waiting for beds in emergency rooms has continued to rise, with the average waiting time stretching to two or three days. Newly mandated nurse-to-patient ratios for work shifts, which took effect in March, led hospitals to reduce the workload on nurses by limiting hospital bed availability.
According to Hong Zi-ren (洪子仁), vice superintendent of the Shin Kong Wu Ho Su Memorial Hospital, meeting the mandated nurse-to-patient ratio was a sign of becoming a nurse-friendly workplace. "All hospitals have proposed salary adjustments and other nurse retention measures with the hope of retaining more senior nursing staff or inviting nurses to return to work at the hospital," added Chi Shu-ching (紀淑靜), president of the Taiwan Union of Nurses Association.
The medical community suggested the government should increase health insurance outlays so hospitals can afford to raise salaries for nursing staff. They hoped the government could also expand nursing subsidies, not only for night shifts but also for day shifts and special units such as operating rooms and emergency rooms.