Page 75 - 2023 Taiwan Health and Welfare Report

05 Long-Term Care Services 05

increased risk of infection due to the large number approach not only offers diversified services to the
of people entering and exiting medical facilities, public, but also eliminates the negative stereotype
as well as the frequent outpatient visits which associated with "hourly workers," elevating the
expose residents and accompanying personnel to professional image of care services and allowing
high-risk environments, the MOHW implemented service providers to allocate sufficient costs for care
measures to reduce the risk of infection associated worker salary adjustments. Furthermore, for in-
with frequent outpatient visits and established a home care workers, it is stipulated that the minimum
dedicated medical institution mechanism for care monthly salary should be at least NTD 32,000 or an
facilities. On July 27, 2020, the MOHW announced hourly rate of at least NTD 200.
the "Minimizing Outpatient Visits by Institutional 2. Strengthen care worker development: Care workers
Residents Plan," and revised the plan on March 1, with certain years of experience according to related
2022, aiming to establish contracts between care regulations could be service supervisors or heads
facilities and a single medical institution to monitor of long-term care institutions, to promote a rise to
the health of residents and manage the progression managerial level or encourage enterprise start-up.
of chronic diseases, thereby safeguarding the health
3. Expanding manpower nurturing: In order to
of care facility residents.
incentivize schools and long-term care institutions
Under this plan, incentive funding of up to NTD to cultivate and train care workers, informational
120,000 and NTD 60,000 per half year was sessions were conducted in collaboration with
provided to medical institutions and care facilities, the MOHW of Education's "Vocational School
respectively, based on indicators such as signing a Caregiving Cultivation Plan." Encouraging long-
single dedicated management contract, reducing term care institutions to provide scholarships and
outpatient visits, chronic disease management, collaborate with schools, these initiatives aimed
and nutritional care. In 2021, 517 care facilities to nurture students' professional caregiving skills,
and 268 medical institutions received subsidies thereby facilitating the employment of qualified
and incentive, while in the first half of 2022, 651 individuals within the institutions and reduce the gap
care facilities and 311 medical institutions received between theory and practice.
subsidies and incentives.
4. Upgrade professional images: promotional videos
for care workers were shoot, Facebook and Line
Chapter 3 Long-Term Care Human
as means of promotion, to enhance people's
Resources knowledge of care workers, and upgrade their
professional images.
Section 1 Care Worker Workforce
In order to enhance the manpower in caregiving Section 2 Social Workers and Medical
services and improve retention, the MOHW has Professional Workforce
actively worked towards improving labor conditions In an effort to boost the capacity of professional
and increasing employment incentives. As of the long-term care workforce and address their training
end of 2022, the actual number of caregiving service needs, various levels of long-term care professional
personnel engaged in long-term care services reached training courses (Level I - Level III) were planned and
95,580 individuals, marking a growth of 1.06 times implemented in 2010. Additionally, to achieve the goal
compared to the end of 2021 when there were of enhancing the outcome of training, the MOHW
89,413 individuals. The following measures have been established a digital learning platform for professional
implemented to drive these efforts: long-term care workers, which was officially launched
1. Improve salary income: Promoted a payment audit in March 2017. This platform facilitated the digitalization
system by transitioning from the previous subsidy- of Level I courses, providing convenient and accessible
based "hourly" pay model to a calculation based on learning opportunities for long-term care professionals.
the care package (i.e.service items), while providing As of 2022, over 50,000 long-term care medical and
additional compensation for challenging cases. This social work personnel had been certified.

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