The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday urged the government to give greater support to healthcare workers on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19.
One of the measures it proposed at a news conference in Taipei was giving healthcare workers priority access to quarantine hotels.
Healthcare workers, who are worried about infecting their families, have had difficulty finding accommodation at quarantine hotels, it said.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
In addition to helping them obtain quarantine housing, the government should subsidize the cost of the hotels to lessen their financial burden, it said.
It should make an inventory of all supplies related to the prevention of COVID-19 — including goggles and surgical caps — and control their prices to prevent price increases or shortages, the KMT said.
The review process for payments of COVID-19-related allowances and bonuses should also be simplified to avoid delays, it added.
The KMT said its suggestions were based on discussions with healthcare providers.
The COVID-19 pandemic remains the public’s top concern, KMT Culture and Communications Committee director-general Alicia Wang (王育敏) said.
It is the government’s duty to provide the nation’s front-line medical staff with necessary support and protection, she said.
“We hope that [the Central Epidemic Command Center] and the Ministry of Health and Welfare can truly see the hard work of healthcare workers,” she added.
Each health facility handles “disease prevention leave” differently, KMT medical committee deputy director Wang Kwua-yun (王桂芸) said, urging the government to introduce a consistent approach.
Although delays in the payment of healthcare workers’ allowances could be due to administrative issues, it is important that they be issued in a timely manner, to show workers that the government values their contributions, she said.
The government should consider providing a dedicated facility for healthcare workers who might otherwise need to pay for a quarantine hotel, she said.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) or Vice President William Lai (賴清德) should join negotiations with international pharmaceutical companies for COVID-19 vaccines, Taiwan Society of Preventive Medicine chairman Arthur Chen (陳宜民) said, citing slow progress on their procurement and the development of domestic vaccines.
The government should tell people when they can expect to receive vaccines, and accelerate efforts to secure vaccines to protect front-line healthcare workers, KMT Culture and Communications Committee deputy director Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) said.
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