Minister of Welfare Cho Kyu-hong Holds Consecutive Meetings with Nursing Sector... Promoting 'Improvement of Treatment' Instead of Nursing Act?

As conflicts continue in the health and medical sector over the Nursing Act, Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong has been meeting with nurses one after another, drawing attention to the background. Ahead of the expected National Assembly plenary session on the Nursing Act bill on the 27th, there are views that this is an effort to "appease nurses," and since the ruling party and government have shown a negative stance toward the original Nursing Act bill, it is also analyzed as a move to leave room for negotiation with the nursing community by promoting improvements in nurses' treatment.

Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong is meeting with nurses at Ewha Mokdong Hospital on the 20th to listen to their opinions.
[Photo by Ministry of Health and Welfare]

On the 20th, Minister Cho visited Ewha Mokdong Hospital and held a meeting with nurses working in special wards such as the intensive care unit, operating room, and emergency room. The purpose of the meeting was reportedly to prepare improvement measures for nurse burnout and early turnover issues caused by nurse shortages and irregular shift work.

Since January, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has been working with the Korean Nurses Association and others to form the "2nd Comprehensive Nursing Workforce Support Plan Consultative Body" to discuss measures to improve nurses' working conditions and strengthen professionalism. Currently, the average number of inpatients assigned to one nurse is 16.3 in tertiary general hospitals, which is very high compared to foreign countries. Also, about 82% of hospital nurses work three shifts, leading to a decline in quality of life and health problems due to the demanding schedule, according to the ministry's assessment.

At the meeting, Minister Cho said, "To provide the public with safer and higher-quality inpatient services, it is necessary to systematically train nursing personnel, who are key workers in medical settings, improve working conditions, and secure skilled nurses who can work long-term." He added, "We will carefully review opinions from the field and actively reflect them in the currently being established 2nd Comprehensive Nursing Workforce Support Plan to create a medical environment where both nurses and the public are happy."

Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong (left) is shaking hands with Kim Young-kyung, President of the Korean Nurses Association.
[Photo by Ministry of Health and Welfare]

Prior to this, on the 17th, Minister Cho met with Kim Young-kyung, president of the Korean Nurses Association, to discuss major issues such as the comprehensive nursing workforce support plan and the Nursing Act. That day, the Korean Nurses Association expressed regret over the failure to bring the Nursing Act bill to the National Assembly plenary session. Then, on the 19th, he met with Han Soo-young, president of the Hospital Nurses Association, to discuss the same agenda, completing three nursing-related schedules just this week. Including the schedule where Deputy Minister Park Min-soo met with nurses at Samsung Seoul Hospital to hear about flexible work system best practices and field opinions, senior officials of the Ministry of Health and Welfare have met nurses four times.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare emphasizes that these schedules were arranged to support nursing workforce measures and improve treatment. However, since the ministry currently takes a de facto opposing stance on the original Nursing Act bill, it is also interpreted as a plan to appease the nursing community with the card of improving nurses' treatment. It is reported that Minister Cho recently faced criticism from ruling party lawmakers regarding the Nursing Act at a closed meeting of the People Power Party. Initially, the comprehensive nursing workforce support plan was expected to be announced around the International Nurses Day and the Korean Nurses Association's founding day on the 12th of next month, but there are also prospects that it could be brought forward before the National Assembly plenary session on the 27th.

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