TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The International Association of Family and Employers with Disabilities (台灣失能者家庭暨看護雇主國際協會, IAFED) announced its opposition to recently announced plans to allow hospitals in Taiwan to hire foreign caregivers. The initiative by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (衛生福利部) aims to address growing demands within medical institutions to meet the care needs of acute inpatients.
The IAFED strongly opposes the policy, arguing that it will deprive the most vulnerable families with disabled members of essential caregiving resources in a press release. Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chuh-liang (石崇良) has already proposed revisions to the relevant management regulations to the Ministry of Labor (勞動部), hoping to complete the legislative amendments in the second quarter of this year. Labor Minister Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) confirmed the receipt of the proposal from the Ministry of Health and Welfare but noted that discussions with relevant worker groups are necessary.
The IAFED highlighted that Taiwan's social welfare migrant workers predominantly come from Indonesia, comprising 82%, followed by Vietnam at about 10% and the Philippines at around 8%. They expressed concerns that the foreign caregivers hospitals plan to hire might share the same labor pool as those serving in family settings. The association fears that hospitals, with their advantages including regular working hours, might attract experienced caregivers already serving families, leading to a drain of workforce from disabled family settings.
The association says that families with disabled members have long borne high agency and service fees, ranging from NT$20,000 to NT$50,000 for initial hiring, transfers, and contract renewals. They worry that policy adjustments could further jeopardize their basic caregiving rights. The association also warned that this policy might increase medical disputes and caregiving oversights, as language barriers could affect patients' rights within the medical system. They urged the Ministry of Health and Welfare to pause the policy implementation and called on the Ministry of Labor not to proceed with its approval.
