Fmr. hospital dir. urges salary hike for medical staff

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — On Wednesday (May 15), the former director of National Cheng Kung University Hospital (成大醫院), Chen Chih-hung (陳志鴻), now the convener of Taiwan's Health Forum (健康台灣論壇), called on the new government taking office on May 20 to increase the salaries of medical staff in public hospitals.

This announcement comes as Taipei Veterans General Hospital (台北榮民總醫院) plans to raise salaries in June, setting a precedent for public medical centers in response to healthcare reform.

Chen highlighted the need for a rational salary structure for medical staff in Taiwan, urging public hospitals to lead by example. He pointed out that the public healthcare system, including the Ministry of Education, the Veterans Affairs Council, municipalities, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), should adjust salaries to reflect basic pay, professional allowances, special duty rewards, and performance bonuses.

The former hospital director emphasized that the professional allowances for nurses in public hospitals are lower than those for other professionals at the same level in central government agencies, calling for adjustments to ensure fairness.

Chen suggested a 15% increase in professional allowances for medical staff and proposed risk allowances for those working in high-risk units. He also called for a review of the performance bonus system in public hospitals.

Highlighting the low salaries of resident doctors in public hospitals, Chen argued that reasonable increases are necessary to cultivate more medical talent. As Taiwan's healthcare system faces these critical reforms, the actions of public hospitals in the coming months will be closely watched.