The Nursing Community Also Discusses 'Collective Action'... "The Veto of the Nursing Act Is a Death Sentence"

As conflicts between healthcare professions over the Nursing Act intensify, the nursing community has begun discussing collective action plans in preparation for the president's potential veto.

Members of the Korean Nurses Association are holding a rally urging the enactment of the Nursing Act in front of the National Assembly. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The Korean Nurses Association announced on the 8th that it has launched a survey on 'nurses' collective action' targeting all its members. The survey is being conducted via email until the 14th, and the results are scheduled to be released on the 15th.

The association stated, "Groups opposing the Nursing Act, including doctors and nursing assistants, have already carried out partial strikes and declared a general strike," and criticized, "The Ministry of Health and Welfare, having succumbed to such intimidation, is considering vetoing the Nursing Act."

They added, "The noble values of 500,000 nurses and 120,000 nursing students, who have vowed never to strike at the expense of the public, are being threatened, and there is nowhere left to retreat. A veto on the Nursing Act is tantamount to a death sentence."

The association also said, "We are contemplating the final decisive struggle and ask for the members' opinions on this matter," appealing, "Just as we led the unprecedented battle against infectious diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic with patients as our sole concern, let us rise resolutely with a determination to live or die for the future of the Republic of Korea and unite our strength."

However, it was reported that the current survey did not mention collective actions such as a general strike but asked for opinions on issues like surrendering nursing licenses and a one-person-one-party membership campaign.

Additionally, the association conveyed that Pamela Cipriano, President of the International Council of Nurses (ICN), sent a letter to President Yoon Suk-yeol requesting the enactment of the Nursing Act. In her letter, President Cipriano emphasized, "In the case of the Republic of Korea, nurses' duties are regulated under the comprehensive Medical Service Act, which includes doctors, dentists, oriental medicine doctors, and midwives, without a separate standalone Nursing Act," and stated, "The Nursing Act would help ensure patient safety, improve nurse recruitment and retention, establish clear regulatory and educational standards and procedures, and guarantee appropriate working conditions."

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