"Total Strike Threat" vs "This Time for Sure"... Healthcare Sector Tensions Ahead of Nursing Act Plenary Session

Scheduled for National Assembly Plenary Session on the 13th
Health and Welfare Medical Alliance General Strike Roadmap Revealed
Kanhyeop "Please Punish Doctors' Selfishness"

As the passage of the Nursing Act bill is expected at the National Assembly plenary session on the 13th, a tense atmosphere is spreading among the healthcare community, which is divided into pros and cons. Healthcare professional organizations, excluding the nursing sector, have taken a hardline stance, threatening a general strike if the Nursing Act is enacted, while the nursing sector insists that the bill must pass the National Assembly this time after sufficient discussions.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the healthcare community on the 11th, the Health and Welfare Medical Solidarity, which includes 13 professional organizations opposing the Nursing Act bill, including the Korean Medical Association (KMA), publicly targeted the Korean Nurses Association (KNA) the day before, urging them to "withdraw the attempt to enact the law and participate in improving healthcare workers' treatment." Until now, the Solidarity had mainly voiced opposition toward political parties such as the Democratic Party of Korea, which led the bill's enactment, but ahead of the plenary session's consideration of the Nursing Act bill, it sharpened its stance against the KNA.

The Solidarity also presented a concrete roadmap for struggle to block the enactment of the Nursing Act. On the day of the plenary session, the heads of the 13 professional organizations will jointly begin a hunger strike, and if the bill is enacted, a general strike resolution rally will be held on the 16th to intensify the general strike struggle. Through a survey on strike support by each professional organization, a final decision on whether to launch a general strike will be made on the 25th. Park Myung-ha, chairman of the KMA Emergency Committee, recently emphasized at an expanded joint meeting for general strike discussions, "To strongly resist the KNA's organized and professional self-interest behavior and to block this harmful law, a strong fighting force including a full general strike by the Health and Welfare Medical Solidarity is necessary to show desperate resistance."

In response to such opposition, the KNA repeatedly urged the enactment of the Nursing Act, saying, "We ask the public to punish the doctors' group selfishness." The KNA issued an appeal stating, "They are distorting the facts about the Nursing Act and threatening the public again by talking about refusal of treatment and work stoppage," and emphasized, "The Nursing Act was reviewed by the National Assembly Legislative Office, proposed, and a review report was submitted by the Health and Welfare Committee's expert office. The bill was examined and approved four times in the bill review subcommittee with participation from lawmakers and the Ministry of Health and Welfare." Furthermore, the KNA added, "The Nursing Act is a law to protect the lives and safety of the people. In a super-aged society, it is a law for the dignified care of not only our parents but also patients, the elderly, and the disabled," and "500,000 nurses will defend and uphold the people's health and care rights through the enactment of the Nursing Act."

While the healthcare community is deeply divided over the enactment of the Nursing Act, variables remain. The People Power Party held a meeting with the Democratic Party on the same day to gather opinions from professional organizations and plans to prepare a mediation proposal on the Nursing Act and the Medical License Revocation Act to persuade the Democratic Party. However, it is unclear whether the Democratic Party will respond positively. It is reported that the Democratic Party maintains its position to pass the bill at the plenary session, stating that preparing a mediation proposal itself is difficult.

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