Jo Gyu-hong "Tomorrow at the Cabinet Meeting, I Will Propose Reconsideration of the Nursing Act... Negative Impact on Public Health"

On the 15th, Cho Kyu-hong, Minister of Health and Welfare, stated, "As a member of the State Council, I reported to the President that I plan to propose a request for reconsideration (veto) of the Nursing Act at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow (the 16th)."

Minister of Health and Welfare Kyoohong Cho. Photo by Dongjoo Yoon doso7@

Minister Cho explained the reason for proposing the request for reconsideration while announcing the Ministry of Health and Welfare's position on the Nursing Act bill at the Government Complex Seoul in the afternoon. He said, "The Nursing Act bill undermines trust and collaboration among professional medical personnel, which negatively affects the health of the public," adding, "Separating nursing alone in healthcare raises concerns about restricting the rights of the people."

He also stated, "In an aging society, an advanced care system must be carefully designed, but the Nursing Act bill risks making care solely the domain of nurses, making it difficult to provide proper services," and added, "It is a bill that discriminates against specific professional groups in medical fields that require collaboration, such as setting an upper limit on the educational level of nursing assistants." Minister Cho also cited the need for sufficient deliberation procedures, especially for bills that cause significant social conflict, as a reason for proposing the request for reconsideration.

However, Minister Cho conveyed that the so-called 'Medical License Revocation Act' (an amendment to the Medical Service Act), which the healthcare sector opposed during the previous day's ruling party-government consultation, was not discussed. Regarding concerns about opposition from the nursing community, he emphasized, "Regardless of the enactment of the Nursing Act, we will steadily implement the already announced 'Comprehensive Support Plan for Nursing Personnel' to improve nurses' working conditions and treatment," adding, "We will gradually reduce the patient-to-nurse ratio to the level of advanced countries so that patients can receive high-quality nursing services, and nurses can focus on nursing duties by lowering their workload and enhancing their expertise."

Furthermore, on the government's response if the nursing community engages in collective action, he stated, "There can be no medical vacuum for the sake of the people's lives and safety," and added, "The government will closely monitor the situation and take necessary measures according to relevant laws and regulations and the standard manual for health and medical disaster crises." In response to criticism that the Ministry of Health and Welfare, as the responsible ministry, failed to play a proper mediating role, he said, "The government has the duty to gather opinions from frontline experts and prepare countermeasures for the National Assembly's decision on the Nursing Act bill," and mentioned, "It is necessary to accurately inform about the Nursing Act bill and honestly convey the opinions of the minister in charge of the relevant ministry regarding the bill, which is naturally something that must be done."

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