Taiwanese Nurses Protest Working Conditions

The Examination Yuan's Department of Examination denied claims that it intentionally made nursing exams easier to address a shortage of healthcare workers. Provincial Governor Chang Yung-ning urged the examination board to simplify test questions, suggesting the use of past exam papers. Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan stated that protecting nurses' labor rights is more practical than simplifying exam questions. Provincial Party Secretary Zhang Yongning called on the Examination Yuan and Examination Affairs Department to simplify exam questions, suggesting that past exam questions could be used, which was welcomed by the medical community. Nurses gathered to protest government healthcare policies, demanding that the three-shift nursing ratio be legislated. They stated that President Lai's promise to enact this within two years has not shown clear progress. The protest was organized by the Taiwan Nurses and Healthcare Industry Association and the National Nurses Union. Thousands of nurses gathered to protest, demanding the government legislate a three-shift system for nursing staff. Protesters are demanding the mandatory implementation of a three-shift system to prevent exploitation of nursing staff. This comes two weeks after President Lai Ching-te's inauguration, as his previous two-year commitment to legislating the three-shift system remains unfulfilled. The current progress of the implementation is described as unclear. Thousands of nurses held a protest in front of the Ministry of Health and Welfare to demand the legalization of a mandatory three-shift system.