A surge in COVID cases is straining staff at Taipei City’s hospital system. Health care workers say they’re overwhelmed with the need for COVID testing and care. They’re asking the government for more support, such as extra manpower to staff screening centers.

Amid a surge in local cases, Taipei City’s hospital network has found itself overwhelmed. In a statement released Sunday, hospital staff lodged an appeal for help. It’s a call that’s been partially answered, health care workers say.

Kao Juo-hsiang
Taipei City Hospital Labor Union
Based on what we know so far, the government has indeed made some adjustments. There’s been a gradual improvement from the chaos that we had before. There have been changes to the controls on movement inside the hospital, as well as in manpower allocation. The fifth test site is getting staffing assistance mainly from the Tri-Service General Hospital. It’s no longer just being staffed by people from the Taipei City Hospital system. As for the care being provided within the hospital system, most of that is still provided by our own staff.

The labor union says the situation has improved, due partly to the creation of a fifth screening station to share the workload. But with the local case count soaring, the crowds at test stations only grow day by day, straining front-line staff.

Kao Juo-hsiang
Taipei City Hospital Labor Union
The screening stations are managed based on local and central government orders. There’s a tremendous amount of pressure on emergency room supervisors. Some of them have spent the past few days at the hospital, without going home. But rank-and-file personnel have been able to go home and rest.


Some front-line workers have been so busy caring for patients, they’ve had trouble keeping themselves fed. The union wants hospital management to address the problem.

Kao Juo-hsiang
Taipei City Hospital Labor Union
There was a nurse at a specialized ward who didn’t bring a meal to the hospital. Health care workers are at the hospital for at least eight hours at a time. She couldn’t order any food for delivery, because couriers only deliver food as far as the hospital entrance, and this nurse from the specialized ward didn’t dare go downstairs to pick up her meal. Under our regulations, she would have had to completely disinfect herself and take a shower before stepping out of the ward. This appears to be a problem with a simple solution. That is, have the nutritionists at the hospital prepare meals. But the communication channels in the hospital are not transparent, so the labor union ends up getting such appeals. Then it’s the union that has to communicate with the administration on behalf of the employees, and that’s an extra step in the process.

With the local case tally surging, the union says more should done to support front-line workers.