Controversy Over "Wash Work Uniforms at Home" for Infectious Disease Hospital Nurses... Calls for Legal Revision

[Image source = MBN broadcast screen capture]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] It has been revealed that some infectious disease-dedicated hospitals do not collectively disinfect nurses' uniforms but instead require individuals to wash them themselves, sparking controversy. As a result, calls are growing to revise the 'Medical Institution Laundry Management Regulations,' which do not explicitly specify uniforms.

According to an exclusive report by MBN on the 2nd, nurses are experiencing the inconvenience of taking their uniforms home to wash them themselves, even though, in principle, uniforms should be collectively disinfected within the hospital after work. This is because many hospitals do not have separate laundry regulations.

Nurses who care for patients 24 hours a day have bloodstains, patient secretions, and, in severe cases, bacteria on their uniforms.

According to the report, former university hospital nurse A stated, "Since these clothes were worn in the places with the highest concentration of bacteria, it is concerning that they are taken outside, as it affects all surrounding movement paths."

B, who works as a surgical nurse, also said, "This is a widespread practice even in hospitals designated as infectious disease-dedicated hospitals."

A representative from C Medical Center, an infectious disease-dedicated hospital, responded, "Since the clothes belong to the individual, they wash them themselves." A representative from D University Hospital also said, "Nurses are provided uniforms once a year, so separate washing is not yet being done."

There is growing criticism that this issue arises because uniforms are not explicitly listed among the types of clothing regulated under the 'Medical Institution Laundry Management Regulations.'

Lee Yong-ho, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, said in an interview, "I suspect hospitals are doing this from a management perspective, but there should be no actions that tarnish the name of infectious disease-dedicated hospitals."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.