Taiwan Struggling With Nurse Shortage

Hospitals across Taiwan are struggling to keep beds open amid a shortage of nurses.

Transcript

00:00Hospitals at a breaking point.

00:02Burnout that began during the COVID pandemic

00:04has seen nurses across the country quit en masse.

00:07Now just 60% of Taiwan's registered nurses

00:10are still working in the profession.

00:12But patient numbers haven't dropped.

00:27The government's trying to help.

00:29New policies that took effect in March

00:31include strict limits on how many patients

00:33a nurse can look after.

00:35The idea is to keep nurses from being overworked

00:38and keep patients safe.

00:40The government's also set aside over US$120 million

00:43in rewards for night shift workers,

00:45since shift work is one reason

00:47many nurses decide to leave the profession.

00:49Still, the nature of the work is the same.

01:00Again, the government says it is paying attention.

01:03The health ministry plans to spend

01:05over US$350 million over four years

01:08to invest in nursing,

01:10both in attracting new people to the job

01:12and convincing those already in it to stay.

01:15Some nurses, like Ji Shujing of the Hubei Hospital,

01:18have been working full-time.

01:20She's been working full-time

01:22since the pandemic began.

01:24She's been working full-time

01:26since the pandemic began.

01:28Nurses like Ji Shujing of the Taiwan Union of Nurses Association

01:31have other ideas about how to ease the nursing shortage.

01:34But they say there is no magic solution.

01:51But Ji Shujing also says it will take time

01:54for the policies introduced in March to show results.

01:57Though no cure, nurses like her believe

01:59they may at least reduce turnover,

02:01giving Taiwan a foundation for rebuilding

02:03its nursing profession.

02:05Klein Wong and John Van Triest for Taiwan Plus.