Nursing Act Plenary Session 'D-2' Still Divided... Is Mediation Possible?

With the plenary session of the National Assembly to discuss the Nursing Act bill just two days away, the gap remains wide between the nursing community demanding the original bill's approval and the ruling party and government seeking a compromise. Although Health and Welfare Minister Cho Kyu-hong has been making continuous efforts to appease the nursing sector, his negative stance on the Nursing Act suggests that reaching an agreement may be difficult.

Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong is deep in thought at the Health and Welfare Committee plenary meeting held at the National Assembly on the 24th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

According to the health care sector and the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 25th, the Nursing Act bill and the so-called 'Medical License Revocation Act' (an amendment to the Medical Service Act that cancels the licenses of medical personnel sentenced to imprisonment or higher) are scheduled to be submitted to the plenary session of the National Assembly on the 27th. Minister Cho, who was about to depart as part of President Yoon Seok-yeol's state visit delegation to the United States, is expected to cancel his schedule abruptly to engage in last-minute mediation, considering the urgent issues.

The government appears to be using the 'improvement of nurses' working conditions' card to mediate with the nursing community. Last week, Minister Cho met consecutively with Kim Young-kyung, president of the Korean Nurses Association, and Han Soo-young, president of the Korean Hospital Nurses Association, and also met with nurses at Ewha Mokdong Hospital to listen to on-site opinions related to the 'Comprehensive Support Measures for Nursing Personnel.' Additionally, he visited the Korea Association of Licensed Practical Nurses, which opposes the Nursing Act, for the first time as a health minister to gather opinions on the mediation proposal. The nursing personnel measures were initially expected to be announced on the 12th of next month, coinciding with International Nurses Day and the founding day of the Korean Nurses Association, but it was decided to announce them on the afternoon of the same day before the National Assembly plenary session.

Nevertheless, the government repeatedly made clear its negative stance on the original Nursing Act bill. At the full meeting of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee the previous day, Minister Cho said, "I have doubts whether the Nursing Act alone is the best way to improve nurses' working conditions and expand their roles in response to changes in the medical environment." He also added, "I think it is faster to resolve what nurses want by discussing it within the framework of the Medical Service Act rather than separately discussing the Nursing Act." This is interpreted as a message to the nursing community to step back from the Nursing Act legislation and quickly discuss practical measures for improving working conditions.

The nursing community, having consistently demanded the enactment of the Nursing Act alternative directly referred to the plenary session by the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, is unlikely to accept the Ministry of Health and Welfare's position easily. The Korean Nurses Association, which had already opposed the ruling party and government’s mediation proposal, held a 'Cultural Square to Urge the Passage of the Nursing Act in the National Assembly' in front of the National Assembly the day before and marched from the National Assembly to the People Power Party headquarters. In particular, they have strengthened public relations activities by launching the 'Nursing Act is the Parent Care Act' campaign.

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