Taiwan's medical staff voice concerns in spite of highly praised coronavirus outbreak prevention measures

TAIPEI - With its current 395 confirmed Covid-19 cases and six deaths, Taiwan has been lauded as one of the speediest countries in responding to the coronavirus outbreak now affecting the whole world.

"I think the government has been taking advantage of Taiwan's medical staff," said Dr Lin Yi-hsueh, a 32-year-old cardiologist, to The Straits Times. He was referring to the government's travel ban for medical staff working on the outbreak prevention front lines, as well as the heavier workloads medical staff have been asked to shoulder, taking turns to work quarantine centres and screening stations at airports.

He said he has been called to the Kaohsiung International Airport to screen passengers flying into Taiwan for potential cases even as he works emergency room shifts in smaller suburban hospitals that are regularly short-staffed. "So the people really at risk are the clinic doctors and staff, who need to know clearly if they have been in touch with confirmed or suspected cases," he said.

"Because the government didn't ban citizens from travelling, our imported cases skyrocketed and who had to carry that burden? The medical workers," said Dr Lin, who added that nurses like Ms Liang have to work harder than ever now because caretakers hired by patients' families are now banned from entering isolation wards and intensive care units, thus requiring the nurses to stay with patients 24/7.

"For crucial supplies like this, it makes me furious seeing the government promise over and over again that there are enough suits when is the reality," said Dr Tu, a 31-year-old doctor who works at the Hsinchu hospital and asked to be identified by his surname only.

Source: Healthcare Press (healthcarepress.net)

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