Taipei, Oct. 26 (CNA) The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) on Thursday unveiled a proposed staff retention program that aims to encourage young people to stay in the long-term care services by providing a monthly stipend of NT$5,000 (US$154).
The plan has been submitted to the Cabinet pending approval, Health Minister Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) told lawmakers at a committee hearing on the long-term care sector in Taiwan.
According to opposition Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Chang Yu-mei (張育美), serving patients in long-term care is arduous work, resulting in high turnover rates and a permanent manpower gap.
Currently, there is a shortage of 2,000 caregivers and although a lot of money has been spent providing more sickbeds, there are not enough care workers, Chang explained.
Addressing the issue, Hsueh said the MOHW is currently working on a plan to attract and retain young people, in particularly those with a relevant degree, to work in residential care facilities.
He said many people who graduate with a degree in long-term care often do not work in the field, and the goal is to attract an additional 2,500 people on top of the current 30,000.
Because it is relatively easy for students to get long-term care qualifications after graduating, Hsueh said the plan is to have them take an additional week-long training program such as on disaster emergency responses after which they will be eligible to receive the NT$5,000 monthly stipend.
Chu Chien-fang (祝健芳), head of the ministry’s Department of Long-Term Care, further elaborated that to qualify for the stipend, graduates specializing in long-term care services will need to work as a caregiver in a residential care facility for at least one year.
The stipend will be paid for up to four years, but those who quit their long-term caregiving job during this period will no longer receive it, Chu said. However, if they return to the field within six months, even if with another employer, the stipend will be reinstated.
Furthermore, in order to make long-term care operators more willing to recruit and provide training opportunities, related administrative expenses will also be subsidized by the government, she said.
The department head said the program has a budget of NT$615 million over four years. If approved by the Cabinet, Chu said, the week-long training could start by the end of the year, with the first group of 400 recipients hopefully eligible to receive the stipend from January next year.
