100,000 households could benefit from relaxed caregiving rules: MOHW

Taipei, July 22 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) said Tuesday that a newly amended hiring policy for foreign caregivers could lead to an estimated 100,000 additional households applying for assistance.

Passed last year as an amendment to the Employment Services Act and already promulgated into law, the policy allows households with a member aged 80 and over to hire live-in foreign caregivers without undergoing an assessment using the Barthel Index -- a clinical scale used to measure a person's ability to perform basic daily activities.

The exemption also applies to households with members aged 70 to 79 who have been diagnosed with stage II cancer or higher.

Speaking at a press conference, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Lue Jen-der (呂建德) said the MOHW has been working closely with the Ministry of Labor (MOL) through a series of deputy-ministerial meetings to prepare supporting measures.

One of those measures is a "green channel" review system that will prioritize households dealing with severe or extremely severe medical conditions, Lue said.

To support families during the application waiting period for foreign caregivers, applicants will also be eligible to access other long-term care services, he added.

The announcement follows criticism from Taiwanese civil society groups, who have pointed out that many families caring for dementia sufferers struggle because some foreign care workers choose not to renew their contracts or leave for other employers.

Chu Chien-fang (祝健芳), director of the MOHW's Department of Long-Term Care, said the MOHW met with the MOL on July 7 to discuss the issue.

She said the initial scope for expanded eligibility will include people with dementia and individuals with stage II cancer or higher, adding that medical experts and scholars have recommended expanding eligibility to include patients with non-solid tumors regardless of stage.

The final criteria will be announced by the MOL, she said, without specifying a timeline.