National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), the nation’s leading medical institution, yesterday announced that it would reduce its outpatient services on Saturdays, starting in April.
The measure is believed to be an attempt to offset the effects of newly implemented rules on holidays and the introduction of a 40-hour workweek, which came into effect on Dec. 23.
The hospital said it would gradually shift outpatient appointments scheduled for Saturdays to weekdays before implementing the plan.
Photo: Chan Shih-hung, Taipei Times
Some medical departments will continue to provide services on Saturdays at its Children’s Hospital, it said without specifying which ones.
The service reduction would affect 2,000 to 3,000 people seeking Saturday outpatient services at the hospital, according to an assessment by the medical sector.
The hospital is not the first medical center to have responded to the new labor rules by cutting services. On Wednesday, Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital said it will reduce outpatient services in the evenings as well as on weekends and holidays by at least 25 percent next month.
The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital also canceled caesarean section appointments on weekends and holidays, except in emergencies.
Asked about NTUH’s planned service cuts, Shin-Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital vice superintendent Hung Tzu-jen (洪子仁) said he approved of the way the hospital is curbing excessive working hours.
As to whether Shin-Kong plans to follow suit, Hung said the hospital would not make a decision for another six months.
It plans to observe how other hospitals comply with the new rules, Hung added.
Taipei Medical University Hospital, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Cathay General Hospital and Tri-Service General Hospital said there would be no changes in their services for the time being.
According to the labor law amendments, total maximum work hours have been reduced from 84 hours every two weeks to 40 hours a week, and employees can have one mandatory day off and one “flexible” rest day each week.
Employers also face higher overtime costs if employees work on their “flexible” day off.
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