從新冠肺炎經驗反思護理勞動職場

Reflections on the Nursing Work Environment in Light of the Experience With COVID-19

護理勞動議題漸受重視而成為國內外趨勢，聯合國於2016年更明確指出護理專業人力的投資對於民眾健康、性別平等與經濟成長的重要性。然而良好的照顧品質仰賴身心健康平衡的護理人員，友善護理勞動職場則有賴於政府、工會、醫院多方共同經營與捍衛。在台灣，政府與民間團體經十幾年來篳路藍縷逐步推動各種法規保障，建立友善的通報平台讓基層得以吹哨檢舉勞動權益受侵害情況，基層護理人員也組成產業工會以發聲爭取權益。2019年底新冠肺炎疫情爆發，衛生福利部提出政策以避免上述事件，台灣護師醫療產業工會發揮監督與即時反映基層心聲的角色，例如溝通爭取合理的防疫津貼補助、口罩防護設備落實執行、護理勞動權益確保與整體社會對疫情期間護理專業的尊重。但未來國內護理勞動環境尚有漫長的道路須努力，包括勞權教育深根推廣、鼓勵基層反饋吹哨、多元資訊得以透明公開、及政策落實確保；希冀以更友善的護理職場，吸納更多優秀的年輕世代投入。

Labor issues related to the nursing profession have been gaining prominence in Taiwan as well as overseas. In 2016, the United Nations highlighted the importance of societies investing sufficient funds in their professional nurses to support and promote public health, gender equality, and economic growth. Good-quality care requires that nurses have good physical and mental health, while creating and maintaining a friendly nursing work environment rely on cooperation among the government, labor unions, and hospitals. Over the past decade, the Taiwan government has increasingly promoted relevant regulations and established a friendly platform to allow nursing staffs to identify problems and report labor rights violations. In addition, nurses have formed unions to defend and advocate for their professional rights. After the outbreak of COVID-19 in late 2019, the Department of Nursing and Health Care of the Ministry of Health and Welfare actively proposed policies related to creating and maintaining good nursing work environments. The Taiwan Nursing and Medical Industries Union took a supervisory role in this process, providing feedback on policies from the perspective of Taiwan's professional nurses and arguing for the reasonable and fair subsidization of epidemic prevention facilities, implementation of mask and protective equipment, nursing labor rights, and social respect for the nursing profession. Much work still needs to be done to improve the domestic working environment for nursing staffs, including improving and expanding education, normalizing and effectively utilizing nursing staff feedback and whistleblowing information, promoting information transparency, and implementing better policies. We hope that a friendlier nursing work environment will attract many more outstanding young persons to pursue a career in nursing.