Whether you spend your postpartum confinement at home or away, spend with caution

Image source / Rihui http://www.flickr.com/photos/37145907@N04/4050239048/

From February 24 to March 13 of this year (ROC year 101), the Consumer Protection Committee of the Executive Yuan, together with the National Fire Agency of the Ministry of the Interior, local fire, building management and health authorities, and local consumer protection officers, conducted inspections in Taipei City, New Taipei City, Hsinchu County, Taichung City, Tainan City and Kaohsiung City, targeting 21 postpartum nursing institutions and 3 postpartum confinement centers. Apart from one that was closed, the inspection results were as follows:

1. Fire safety: 8 failed to meet the regulations, 15 met the regulations.

2. Building safety: 15 failed to meet the regulations, 8 met the regulations.

3. Hygiene management: 10 failed to meet the regulations, 13 met the regulations.

4. Standard-form contracts: 11 failed to meet the regulations, 12 met the regulations.

Among the failures, in fire safety, for example, the most serious cases were "the descent control device body missing, material degraded, descent space obstructed," or "curtains not made of flame-retardant material"; in building safety, the most common were "obstacles piled up at emergency exits and stairwells" and "failure to file and declare the building public safety inspection certification"; in hygiene management, the most common was "no handrails installed at ward platforms, corridors and bathrooms"; and in the non-compliant standard-form contracts, the most common were "excessive deposit collection" and "failure to record the consumer's or the operator's right to terminate the contract." (For details of the non-compliant situations, please see the attachment to "Postpartum nursing institutions and postpartum confinement centers: did you choose the right one, Mom?")

Consumer protection officer Wang Deming pointed out that under the government's standard-form contract rules, if a consumer decides not to move in before moving in, there is a tiered punitive deduction from the deposit as liquidated damages. According to the regulations, if the consumer does not move in more than 30 days beforehand, only 10% of the deposit may be deducted as liquidated damages; if it is 20 to 30 days before moving in, only 20% may be deducted, and so on. However, operators mostly use housing consent forms, reservation slips and the like as the contract rather than adopting the government's standard-form contract, so if the pregnant woman ultimately does not move in, many operators simply deduct the entire deposit.

In addition to spot-checking postpartum confinement centers and postpartum nursing homes, the Executive Yuan also conducted spot checks on postpartum confinement meals last year and found that the kitchen management and hygiene of some confinement meal providers were questionable. Besides piling ingredients next to the toilet, cockroaches scurried around in the kitchen, a mouse cage stood at the ready, and there was even moldy danggui (Angelica sinensis) waiting to be cooked. More than 90% of the operators also failed to meet the regulations on temperature control of ingredients.

The Consumer Protection Committee advises consumers that before ordering postpartum confinement meals, in addition to tasting the food and looking at the menu, they also have the right to ask the operator to open the kitchen for a visit and to ask relevant questions, so as to confirm whether kitchen management is appropriate.

Reference materials

Executive Yuan Consumer Protection Committee press release: Postpartum nursing institutions and postpartum confinement centers: did you choose the right one, Mom?

Executive Yuan Consumer Protection Committee press release: Overall check of delivered postpartum confinement meals - safeguarding mothers' health and rights