The Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) reviewed existing standards for hiring foreign caregivers yesterday in an apparent move to stop those who hire employees as caregivers and then force them to work in factories or carry out other jobs.
In response to the rising unemployment rate among local workers, the CLA has sought to reduce the number of foreign workers by 15,000 between July 2000 and June 2001 and to assess the effects of the policy annually.
The initial reduction is being sought on the import of foreign workers for major public construction projects and as caregivers, officials expressed yesterday during a public hearing.
The CLA is expected today to announce a new quota for the import of foreign workers for major public construction projects. The new rules will stipulate that contractors must offer employment to a Taiwanese worker before it can hire a foreign worker.
As for reducing the import quota for caregivers, who account for 23 percent of the total foreign workforce in Taiwan, the forum reached no conclusion.
One of the key items of debate during the meeting, which was attended by medical professionals and social workers, was the effectiveness of the Barthel score -- the index currently used to assess whether a patient needs a caregiver.
The index is computed from ten scores -- rated either on a scale from 0-10 or 0-15 -- which determine the level of disability of a patient by considering their ability to carry out various basic functions, such as eating, combing hair, dressing, and using the toilet.
Under current regulations, foreign caregivers are allowed to work for families who have children under six years of age and whose elderly parents are disease-stricken and above the age of 70. Permits are also issued for families with members who have "special diseases" -- even if the patient is between the age of six and 70.
The Barthel scale is used as a supplement to determine the inability of patients with special diseases to carry out daily functions.
Most medical professionals present yesterday acknowledged the index -- though not perfect -- as an objective tool to determine whether patients actually need caregivers to look after them.
Taiwan's regulations concerning the employment and supervision of foreign workers prescribe that employers should not assign employed foreign workers to engage in work which is not specified in their work permit.
However, a large proportion of foreign caregivers have been assigned by their employers to engage in work other than caregiving.
Chairing the hearing, Su Shiu-yi (
As a result, he said the COA would attempt to reassess the Barthel index so that it can both deter the unlawful use of foreign caregivers and at the same time satisfy the real demands families and nursing institutions have.
Jacob Chen (
"While the scale can determine the functional disability of a patient, it doesn't reflect how much need a family has for a caregiver," Chen said. "Traditionally, it should have been the responsibility of the family to take care of their sick members. But these days, whether family members should themselves perform caregiving duties depends upon practical and financial considerations," Chen said.
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