Applications to employ foreign home caretakers will go through a strict scanning process this year by local governments, as each application will be reviewed according to the applicant's health and social circumstances, the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) announced yesterday.
"This new policy proposal is still in review by the council and the Ministry of the Interior. Once the policy takes effect, the person applying for medical care will be examined by a medical authority to ensure his or her condition requires special care.
"Then, a social affairs bureau will review the case to see if a domestic caretaker is available to provide such a service to the family involved. Lastly, the council will conduct a final review regarding the possible employment of a foreign caretaker," said Kuo Fong-yu (郭芳煜), director general of the council's Employment and Vocational Training Administration.
The application process to hire a foreign home caretaker requires a medical examination conducted by an appointed health facility as well as employment authorization by the council.
Kuo said that the ministry has been designing a system of providing and training Taiwanese home caretakers for the past year and a definite plan is expected to be determined later this year.
He also said if everything works out as planned, the cross-administration operation, which is to ensure work opportunities for local workers, will begin a trial run in July among patients who suffered from chronic arthritis and strokes.
He said the majority of individuals who wish to hire home caretakers were stroke and arthritis patients.
"In order to drive this new system at full steam, the council will set up review centers across the nation, which requires human and financial resources; therefore, we give city and county governments a 6-month preparation period. By July, they should be ready to implement this review system," he said.
According to Kuo, all foreign home caretaker applications will be scanned by health, social and labor authorities by 2005.
Kuo said that possible processing delays stemming from the prolonged application review procedure will have to be overcome.
"The council wants to emphasize that overall, we regard foreign workers as a supplementary work force and our foremost concern lies in providing employment opportunities for local workers," said CLA Chairman Chen Chu (陳菊).
He said that although many homes for senior citizens provide adequate living space for the elderly, the traditional concept of filial piety prevents children from sending their parents to these homes.
"Most Taiwanese people still regard sending parents to homes for the elderly as contrary to their filial duty. As a result, they would rather hire helpers to take care of their parents at home, even if these senior citizens need professional and specialized medical care, which is available at old-age homes. Consequently, home caretakers are much in demand," Chen said.
He said that health authorities need to promote public awareness regarding the positive characteristics of old-age homes.
"It will definitely take a few years before the public embrace the idea of old-age homes. Meanwhile, home caretakers will remain to be in high demand," Chen said.
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