MOHW looks to allow direct hire of foreign care helpers at hospitalsStaff writer, with CNAMinister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) is working on revising regulations to allow hospitals to directly hire foreign care workers who will help patients hospitalized for acute conditions with daily care needs and ease the workload of nursing staff. However, hospitals are facing a shortage of care workers, which is why the health ministry is considering introducing intermediate skilled foreign care workers. Previously, they could only be employed by long-term care institutions, chronic care wards and respiratory care units, and not general hospitals. The ministry has been communicating with nursing groups to address misunderstandings that foreign care workers will replace domestic nurses, he added. Shih stressed that the policy is intended to ease their workload, allowing them to focus on professional duties while daily care is handled by foreign care workers.
