Nursing Association "Refusal of Illegal Orders Such as Proxy Prescriptions and Surgeries, Surrender of Licenses"... Collective Action Intensifies

The nursing community has declared the start of full-scale collective action in protest against President Yoon Seok-yeol's exercise of the veto power on the Nursing Act legislation. They plan to refuse illegal work orders given to nurses and hold a large-scale condemnation rally.

The Korean Nurses Association held a press conference on the 17th at the Korean Nurses Association Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul, stating, "The president, who exercised the veto power without discerning absurd falsehoods, can never be free from responsibility."

The Korean Nurses Association announced on the 17th its plans for future collective actions, including lawful protests, in response to the President's veto of the Nursing Act, and held a press conference urging the re-enactment of the Nursing Act. Kim Young-gyeong of the Korean Nurses Association is reading the statement at the press conference. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@

As part of the collective action, the association will first carry out lawful resistance. The intention is to refuse illegal work orders from doctors. Starting immediately, nurses will refuse to perform illegal medical acts such as proxy prescriptions, proxy surgeries, proxy record-keeping, blood collection, ultrasound, and electrocardiogram tests that were previously done under doctors' orders.

Korean Nurses Association President Kim Young-kyung said, "We will refuse doctors' orders regarding licensed duties of other healthcare professions such as clinical pathologists," adding, "We will distribute a list of illegal tasks that nurses must refuse to medical institutions."

Additionally, the association plans to manage the situation by establishing an Illegal Medical Practice Reporting Center and a field inspection team. Given the broad scope of illegal medical practices identified by the association, some disruptions are expected in actual medical settings.

Alongside this, the association will also launch a license return campaign, establish a general election planning team, promote one-person-one-party membership, and declare collective actions by nursing professors and nursing managers within medical institutions. President Kim stated, "Over the next month, we will collect nurses' licenses nationwide and return them to the Ministry of Health and Welfare," adding, "On the day of license return, we will gather in Gwanghwamun to accuse and demand the dismissal of the Minister and Vice Minister of Health and Welfare for unjustly exercising public authority based on falsehoods."

Furthermore, on the 19th, a large-scale rally condemning the veto of the Nursing Act will be held in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, and annual struggles will be initiated. President Kim emphasized, "The 620,000 nurses will use all means to fight against falsehoods and fake news related to the Nursing Act."

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