1.4 Policy Commitments and Participation of Public Associations
The Taiwan Armed Forces Taichung General Hospital strictly adheres to relevant domestic laws, including the Medical Care Act and the Labor Standards Act, to ensure sustainable governance and the protection of human rights. It complies with the management regulations and ethical standards of the government medical system to establish a comprehensive mechanism for safeguarding human and labor rights. Additionally, the hospital actively supports the principles of international human rights conventions, such as the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labour Organization’s Core Labor Standards. Values such as respect for human dignity, protection of fundamental labor rights, and promotion of equal opportunities are integrated into the organizational governance framework and daily management systems, forming a vital foundation for advancing sustainable medical services.
Regarding Human Rights Policies and System Development
The hospital has integrated relevant principles into its internal work rules, personnel management methods, and employee codes of conduct. These principles are institutionalized and implemented throughout human resource management processes, including recruitment, appointment, training, evaluation, and promotion. Specifically, the hospital explicitly prohibits any form of discrimination, including but not limited to gender, age, ethnicity, religion, political stance, or physical and mental conditions, ensuring that all employees can develop their professional abilities in a fair, respectful, and safe working environment. Additionally, the hospital strictly forbids any form of forced or involuntary labor. Through internal audit mechanisms and complaint channels, it ensures the effective implementation of human rights policies. The hospital values the fundamental human rights of its employees, complies with relevant labor laws and human rights principles, and is committed to building a fair, respectful, inclusive, and safe work environment. It continuously strengthens mechanisms for identifying, preventing, and managing human rights risks to minimize potential impacts and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of employees, partners, and other stakeholders.
Regarding human rights due diligence
The hospital continuously evaluates the feasibility of establishing a systematic human rights risk identification and assessment mechanism and has integrated related issues into internal discussions. At the current stage, based on existing systems, the hospital conducts employee satisfaction surveys using a standardized electronic questionnaire provided by the Taiwan Medical Strategy Alliance. The survey covers seven key dimensions: hospital recognition, job satisfaction, salary incentives, peer relationships, supervisor leadership, learning and growth, and work environment, to gauge employees’ genuine perceptions of the workplace environment. The 2025 survey was conducted through random sampling with anonymous electronic responses, yielding 116 valid samples. The overall satisfaction average was 3.71 points (on a 5-point Likert scale), reflecting a positive increase from 3.65 points in 2024. Among these dimensions, job satisfaction scored highest at 4.01, indicating employees’ sustained and stable recognition of their work. The hospital will continue to review survey results as a basis for workplace environment improvements and human rights risk identification. Additionally, the hospital is actively assessing the feasibility of gradually integrating human rights management requirements into supplier evaluation mechanisms to strengthen the foundation of supply chain human rights management.
In 2025, the hospital received four reports of sexual harassment, all involving inappropriate behavior by patients toward employees. The individuals involved completed complaint forms but chose not to file formal complaints. After procedural review, these cases did not meet the criteria for formal case establishment, resulting in zero officially established sexual harassment complaints. In response, the hospital proactively provided support to the individuals involved, offering legal consultation through the legal affairs officer and psychological counseling services to protect employee rights and mitigate the impact on their physical and mental well-being. Cases related to employee rights and concerns are managed according to internal procedures and are continuously monitored for improvement. The hospital remains committed to fostering a respectful, safe, equitable, and supportive workplace environment through sexual harassment prevention systems, educational initiatives, complaint handling mechanisms, and human rights protections. To safeguard employees’ personal dignity and workplace safety, the hospital has established a comprehensive sexual harassment prevention and complaint handling framework that clearly defines reporting procedures, investigation processes, confidentiality protocols, and remedies, ensuring that cases are handled independently, fairly, and promptly. Case investigations are conducted in accordance with relevant regulations within two months, with a possible one-month extension if necessary. If a party chooses to pursue legal action, the hospital immediately activates a cross-departmental care and coordination mechanism. The personnel unit collaborates with the supervisory officer and legal affairs officer to assess the case. The supervisory officer assists with filing procedures, the legal affairs officer provides legal consultation and support, and the psychological counselor offers psychological care to protect the party’s rights and reduce the impact on their physical and mental health.
Furthermore, the hospital implements isolation protection and confidentiality measures to prevent retaliation, discrimination, or secondary harm to the parties involved during case handling. It continuously promotes gender equality, respect for diversity, and zero-discrimination principles through education and training, legal advocacy, and optimization of complaint channels. These efforts strengthen all staff members’ awareness of human rights and foster a culture of respect, creating a safe, friendly, and inclusive workplace environment.
Regarding the Protection of Labor Rights and Interests
Our hospital adheres to relevant regulations to establish a standardized working hours management system and a reasonable scheduling mechanism. Through institutionalized leave and overtime management policies, we protect employees’ fundamental labor rights as well as their physical and mental well-being. Additionally, we prioritize workplace safety and health management by continuously strengthening occupational safety measures to minimize potential risks in the medical work environment. Through regular education, training, and awareness campaigns, we enhance all employees’ understanding and sensitivity regarding human rights and labor rights issues.
At the organizational culture level, our hospital is dedicated to fostering a respectful, diverse, and inclusive work environment, with a strong emphasis on cross-professional team collaboration and coordinated communication. We encourage employees to actively participate in system improvements and feedback processes to enhance transparency and engagement in internal governance. By continuously optimizing internal communication channels and complaint resolution mechanisms, our hospital aims to establish a management system that promptly addresses employees’ needs and concerns, thereby strengthening the foundation of organizational trust and cohesion.
In addition to internal governance and human rights protection mechanisms, our hospital actively maintains close exchanges and cooperative relationships with external medical and management professional communities. By participating in multiple professional public associations, we continuously absorb the latest domestic and international trends in medical management and sustainable development to enhance overall medical service quality and governance capabilities. Currently, the main professional organizations in which our hospital participates include the Taiwan Hospital Association, the Republic of China Public Hospital Association, the Republic of China Regional Hospital Association, the Taiwan Medical Management Society, the National Biotechnology and Medical Industry Promotion Association, the Taiwan Medical Strategy Alliance Association, and the Taiwan Medical Quality Association. Through these professional platforms, our hospital engages in experience exchange, policy dialogue, and quality benchmarking with medical institutions and professional groups nationwide, further strengthening the professionalism and maturity of medical governance.
During its participation in public associations, our hospital not only actively engages in related seminars, training sessions, and policy exchange activities but also continuously monitors the latest developments in labor rights, medical quality improvement, patient safety, and sustainable development within the healthcare industry. We promptly incorporate the best domestic and international practices into our internal management systems to enhance overall operational efficiency and service quality. Additionally, through exchanges with peer institutions, our hospital evaluates the effectiveness of its own system operations and continuously optimizes and refines them.
Overall
Our hospital has progressively developed a governance framework that integrates legal compliance, the principles of international standards, and medical professional practices concerning human rights policies and external participation mechanisms. By employing a dual approach of internal institutional management and external professional exchanges, our hospital not only strengthens the protection of fundamental rights for employees and stakeholders but also enhances the organization’s overall performance in medical quality, governance transparency, and sustainable development.
In the future, our hospital will continue to enhance the human rights governance system, strengthen cross-departmental collaboration and system integration, and further expand cooperative relationships with domestic and international medical and sustainability-related organizations. These efforts aim to continuously improve the level of human rights protection and organizational governance maturity, advancing toward becoming a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable modern medical institution.