The BLI reminded the workers to apply for regular follow-up health examination to prevent occupational diseases and safeguard their own rights to health.
To protect the health of the workers previously engaged in harmful tasks, the BLI offers to the eligible workers one free follow-up health examination each year for the prevention of occupational diseases. If a worker is thereafter diagnosed of an occupational disease, he/she may claim the occupational accident insurance benefits, or apply for relevant allowances or subsidies after withdrawn from the insurance. The BLI reminded the workers to pay attention to their own rights and interests.
After the implementation of the Labor Occupational Accident Insurance and Protection Act on May 1, 2022, a worker with previous exposure to sixteen types of harmful tasks, including ionizing radiation, dusts, nickel and formaldehyde, may apply to the BLI for one follow-up health examination each year to prevent occupational diseases, subject to that the worker has been insured consecutively for one year or more. The application may be filed after the change of job contents, or after he/she has separated from the job or withdrawn from the insurance. Different examination items will be offered depending on the potential risk exposure of each harmful task, so as to ensure early detection of the related symptoms. The examination fees shall be paid by the BLI.
The BLI indicated that the incubation period of the aforementioned diseases could be as long as ten to thirty years. To ensure early detection and treatment of the diseases, it is necessary to take long-term follow-up actions. In case any abnormality is detected during the follow-up health examination and the worker, who is still covered by the insurance, is diagnosed of an occupational disease by a physician specialized in occupational medicine, he/she may seek medical services from an NHI-contracted hospital or clinic, presenting the relevant medical documents on the occupational disease to apply for reduction/exemption of the co-payment and the meal charges for the first thirty days of hospitalization. He/she may also apply for other occupational accident benefits according to the regulations. If a worker, after his/her separation from the work or withdrawal from the insurance, is diagnosed of an occupational disease by a physician specialized in occupational medicine and working in a dedicated medical institution approved by the Ministry of Labor, he/she may apply for relevant allowance or subsidies against such occupational disease if it is caused by the performance of duties during the insured period.
To obtain the information about the follow-up health examination for preventing occupational diseases, occupational accident insurance benefits and the allowances/subsidies against occupational diseases diagnosed after withdrawal from the insurance, please visit the BLI’s global website for “Business Topic/ Labor Occupational Accident Insurance Health Examination to Prevent Occupational Diseases and Follow-up Health Examination or / Benefits”.