Virus Outbreak: Medical unions criticize bonuses‘UNFAIR’: Compensation for those working to prevent the spread of COVID-19 does not cover frontline workers such as radiologists and respiratory therapists, the unions saidBy Tsai Ya-hua and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerA 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. 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.

Source: Taipei Times April 11, 2020 15:56 UTC