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Rights groups call for live-in carer reform
Labour groups are urging the government to resist "underwriting existing human rights violations" and instead integrate live-in migrant caregivers into a better-regulated long-term care system.
The call comes after the Ministry of Health last week announced plans to expand the eligibility for hiring of live-in migrant caregivers. Under the proposed policy, an additional three categories of people will be eligible to hire migrant caregivers without being required to undergo and pass an assessment using the Barthel Index. That index measures the ability of those receiving care to function independently. The government says the eased hiring criteria could benefit some 600,000 people.
However, the Awakening Foundation says that figure is only about 72% of the total number of individuals in need of long-term care while the Taiwan International Workers' Association says the expansion to include about 300,000 people "who have already used long-term care services for no less than six months" indicates the government plans to abandon its current long-term care policy.
