The practice rate of the nation’s medical technologists fell to just 42.32 percent last year, with hospitals facing an estimated personnel shortage of 10 to 20 percent, the Taiwan Association of Medical Technologists said.
Despite Taiwan becoming a super-aged society and rising demand for healthcare services, the practice rate continued to decline — from 45.9 percent in 2011 to 42.32 percent last year, association data showed.
Medical technologists perform clinical laboratory tests by analyzing blood, urine and tissue samples with specialized equipment to assist doctors in diagnosis.
Photo: Taipei Times
The Ministry of Health and Welfare granted medical technologist certificates to 24,000 people last year, but only 10,000 of them registered as practitioners, with many choosing jobs in the biotechnology industry or pursuing other careers, the association said.
If the shortage worsens, people could face longer waits for laboratory reports, it added.
Association president Lai Hsin-heng (賴信亨) said the shortfall is particularly acute in hospitals, with most clinical laboratories operating 10 to 20 percent below capacity.
Recruitment ads have remained unanswered for more than six months, he added.
Association secretary-general Lin Ching-yuan (林慶元) said the base salaries for medical technologists working at hospitals are low, with a ceiling of NT$700,000 (US$23,319) on the annual income for practitioners in the public system.
Medical technologists cannot earn more than NT$1 million a year without additional pay from night-shift subsidies — and even then, their income remains lower than those of peers in other medical departments, he said.
As a result, many medical technologists have left hospitals and sought jobs at independent clinical laboratories or biotech companies, which offer more competitive salaries, he added.
In addition to working three shifts, most medical technologists at hospitals have to shoulder heavier workloads, as hospital administrations have cut staffing following the automation of many laboratory procedures, Lin said.
This has discouraged young people from entering the profession, or led them to work in hospitals briefly before moving on, he said.
Given that qualification rates of the national examination for medical technologists remained low, the limited supply of new entrants could further exacerbate the personnel shortage, he said, adding that some recruiting hospitals could not get even a resume from jobseekers.
The examination is held twice a year. Over the past four years, the February session’s pass rate has stayed below 10 percent, dropping to just 5.84 percent last year, while the July session has hovered at about 30 percent over the past few years.
Ministry of Examination Deputy Minister Liu Yueh-lan (劉約蘭) said qualification rates vary depending on the number and backgrounds of applicants.
Among fresh graduates taking the July exam last year, 47.14 percent passed, and 53.33 percent of those who passed held a college degree, she said, adding that the performance was stable.
Regarding the shortage, the ministry said it has commissioned the National Health Research Institutes to assess the nation’s medical workforce — including medical technologists — with a report due next year.
The ministry has also implemented a program to promote friendly workplaces, encourage practitioners to return and cultivate medical talent, it said.
Digital and automated processes would continue to be introduced to ease workloads, improve retention rates and strengthen the resilience of the healthcare system, the ministry said.
However, Lai said that demand for medical technologists is likely to grow with the government’s planned launch of the Long-term Care 3.0 program, as point-of-care testing becomes more widespread.
Medical technologists would play an indispensable role in the long-term care system, he said, calling on hospitals to offer incentives to help reverse the shortage.
US President Donald Trump said "it’s up to" Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) what China does on Taiwan, but that he would be "very unhappy" with a change in the "status quo," the New York Times said in an interview published yesterday. Xi "considers it to be a part of China, and that’s up to him what he’s going to be doing," Trump told the newspaper on Wednesday. "But I’ve expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don’t think he’ll do that," he added. "I hope he doesn’t do that." Trump made the comments in
NOT AN OPENING: Trump’s violation of international law does not affect China’s consideration in attacking Taiwan; Beijing lacks capability, not precedent, an official said Taiwanese officials see the US’ capture of the president of Venezuela as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US’ ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. The strikes that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signaled to authoritarian leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), US President Donald Trump’s willingness to use military might for international affairs core to US interests, one senior official in Taipei’s security circle said. That reassured Taiwan, the person said. Taipei has also dismissed the idea that Trump’s apparent violation of international law could embolden Beijing, said the official, who was not
A cold surge advisory was today issued for 18 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures of below 10°C forecast during the day and into tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. New Taipei City, Taipei, Taoyuan and Hsinchu, Miaoli and Yilan counties are expected to experience sustained temperatures of 10°C or lower, the CWA said. Temperatures are likely to temporarily drop below 10°C in most other areas, except Taitung, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, CWA data showed. The cold weather is being caused by a strong continental cold air mass, combined with radiative cooling, a process in which heat escapes from
Tourism in Kenting fell to a historic low for the second consecutive year last year, impacting hotels and other local businesses that rely on a steady stream of domestic tourists, the latest data showed. A total of 2.139 million tourists visited Kenting last year, down slightly from 2.14 million in 2024, the data showed. The number of tourists who visited the national park on the Hengchun Peninsula peaked in 2015 at 8.37 million people. That number has been below 2.2 million for two years, although there was a spike in October last year due to multiple long weekends. The occupancy rate for hotels
RSS