A reporter from the Ministry of Labor paid a visit to the Center for Occupational Accident Prevention and Rehabilitation on August 17, 2023, to get an understanding of the effectiveness of the Center's business promotion since its establishment last year, and to learn about the progress of the preparation for the first "vocational rehabilitation service home" to be established in Kaohsiung in the coming year (2024).
 

From the occurrence of an occupational accident to returning to work, the process is time-consuming and often leads to a stalemate between labor and management. Based on the experience in controlling and evaluating the service plans of occupational rehabilitation institutions, we understand that workers suffering from occupational accidents often encounter problems after acute medical treatment, such as uncertainty about the process of applying for occupational accidents benefits, the need for further rehabilitation, confusion about rehabilitation that affect recovery, and difficulty in communicating with employers. To help address these problems, the Center will establish rehabilitation service homes (tentatively called rehabilitation homes) in 2024.

CEO Ho Jiune-Jye mentioned at the meeting that he hopes to set up "rehabilitation homes" next year to provide more "nearby and convenient" services as instructed by Hsu Ming-Chun, the Center's Chairman and current Minister of Labor. The rehabilitation homes are one-stop demonstration service sites, integrating all the professional services and application windows required during the period from the occurrence of occupational accidents to returning to work, and providing "one-stop" services so that workers suffering from occupational accidents can return to work as soon as possible, creating a more positive future.

Mr. Ho Jiune-Jye said that selection of the locations of rehabilitation homes will be based on two factors: areas with the largest number of disabled workers and places lacking dedicated rehabilitation hospitals. Additionally, if general hospitals in a locality cannot easily handle complicated and difficult cases, a rehabilitation home will be established. The first rehabilitation home will be in Kaohsiung.

In addition, the Center's "Occupational Accident Guard APP" will be available in English, Thai, Indonesian, and Vietnamese in the third quarter of this year. The reporters at the meeting inquired about the intention of the plan for the multilingual version. Mr. Ho Jiune-Jye pointed out that allowing foreigners and new residents in Taiwan to receive help in their native language is another one of the original purpose of the Center's services - "nearby and convenient" - "when there are occupational accidents, everyone is worried, helpless, and in need of help, and the legal entities are to play the role of a soft support force, so that people can find us when they need us".

A total of 13 reporters attended the exchange session. In addition to being personally hosted by CEO Ho Jiune-Jye, Deputy CEO Teng Ming-Pin, and Wu Chen-Long, the reporters also exchanged ideas with the managers of various business divisions. The meeting lasted for 1.5 hours.