Hospital pharmacist shortage poses challenges for large medical facilities
Rewritten Article:
Hey there! It's a fact that many hospitals in Taiwan are crying out for pharmacists, with some hospitals reporting a shortage of up to 30 percent.
Data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare shows that as of the end of last year, there were 37,391 registered pharmacists, with 19,994 working in pharmacies and 17,278 in healthcare facilities.
According to Huang Jin-shun, president of the Federation of Taiwan Pharmacists Associations, the COVID-19 pandemic drove demand for masks, at-home rapid test kits, and other products, causing an overall increase in sales by around 30 percent. This surge led some pharmacists to leave hospitals and open their own stores, increasing the number of pharmacies from more than 7,000 to over 8,000 across the nation. However, sales declined after the pandemic, and with high hiring costs, more than 300 community pharmacies have closed shop.
Meanwhile, the Taiwan Society of Health-System Pharmacists president, Chang Yuh-lih, reports that pharmacist shortages are common in medical centers and regional hospitals, particularly in northern Taiwan, where shortages range from 5 to 30 percent. While some pharmacy departments of hospitals in central and southern Taiwan are fully staffed, others still face shortages of over 10 percent.
The discrepancy in pharmacist shortages between northern and southern Taiwan might be due to differences in salary and cost of living. In the past, many pharmacy graduates from central or southern Taiwan sought jobs in northern Taiwan due to higher salaries. However, as salaries in hospitals of central and southern Taiwan have increased over the years, and living costs in northern Taiwan are higher, many graduates now opt to work in central or southern Taiwan.
National Taiwan University Hospital's Department of Pharmacy director Huang Chih-fen says they haven't observed pharmacists returning to hospitals, and that many hospitals still suffer from pharmacist shortages. The difficulty in attracting pharmacists to hospitals stems from the complicated nature of the work, which involves fast-paced, high-volume prescription with additional requirements like educational training and hospital accreditation. As long as salary and benefits are lower than in community pharmacies, hospitals will struggle to recruit or retain pharmacists. Most pharmacists who left non-hospital workplaces will not return to hospitals.
According to Lin Ching-yi, deputy minister of Health and Welfare, the ministry is pushing for hospital pharmacy reform to reduce staff workloads through collaboration with pharmacies or integrating automated smart equipment into prescription and distribution work. This will let hospital pharmacists focus on more complicated work, allowing them to demonstrate their professional value and be more willing to stay in their jobs.
While the National Health Research Institutes predicts an excess of pharmacists in the future, they also forecast continued pharmacist shortages in medical facilities. To tackle these shortages, the government should encourage hospitals to improve their salaries and benefits, help them relieve work stress, offer career development opportunities, and promote earlier medical attention at clinics and local hospitals to reduce the burden at large hospitals.
Now, let's consider why pharmacist shortages occur. Pharmacist shortages can be attributable to several factors. The burnout rate among pharmacists, largely due to high stress and long working hours, can lead to a loss in workers. Moreover, limited job opportunities and better pay elsewhere might drive pharmacists away from hospitals. Lastly, constraints in pharmacy education and specialized training can impact the supply of qualified pharmacists.
To tackle these issues, strategies like improving the work environment, competitive compensation and benefits, expanding educational opportunities, and leveraging technology can help alleviate the problem. In Taiwan, specific initiatives like chain operations in the pharmaceutical distribution sector aim to streamline services, indirectly addressing the issue of pharmacist shortages in hospitals. However, targeted strategies specifically aimed at addressing the shortages of pharmacists in hospitals are essential.
- Despite the surge in sales during the COVID-19 pandemic, some hospitals in Taiwan, particularly those in northern Taiwan, are still experiencing pharmacist shortages ranging from 5 to 30 percent.
- The average number of registered pharmacists in Taiwan as of the end of last year was 37,391, with only a portion working in healthcare facilities.
- Due to higher salaries and better working conditions in community pharmacies, many pharmacy graduates prefer to work outside hospitals, contributing to the ongoing pharmacist shortages in medical facilities.
- To combat these shortages, the government should focus on targeted strategies like improving hospital salaries and work conditions, offering career development opportunities, and reducing work stress for pharmacists, which may help attract and retain talented pharmacists in hospitals.
