Nurses' 'Illegal Medical Practice Reporting Center' Receives 12,000 Reports in Five Days

"Driven to Illegal Medical Practice by Power and Employment Threats"

After President Yoon Suk-yeol exercised his veto power (request for reconsideration) on the Nursing Act bill, the nursing community has entered a 'law-abiding struggle,' and it has been identified that over 12,000 cases of illegal work orders have been reported.

The Korean Nurses Association announced on the 17th their 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. Photo by Huh Younghan younghan@

According to the Korean Nurses Association on the 25th, as of 4 p.m. on the 23rd, a total of 12,189 reports had been received at the 'Illegal Medical Practice Reporting Center,' which has been operating since the 18th.

The types of hospitals reported were led by general hospitals at 41.4% (5,046 cases). This was followed by tertiary general hospitals at 35.7% (4,352 cases), hospitals including specialized hospitals at 19.0% (2,316 cases), and clinics and public health centers at 3.9% (475 cases).

Among the illegal medical practice orders, 44.2% (4,078 cases) were reported to have been received from professors. Additionally, residents accounted for 24.5% (2,261 cases), others (such as nursing administrators or heads of medical institutions) 19.5% (1,799 cases), and fellows 11.8% (1,089 cases).

The specific types of illegal medical practice reports showed that tests (specimen collection, puncture) were the most frequent with 6,932 cases. This was followed by prescriptions and records at 6,876 cases, tube management (L-tube and T-tube replacement, intubation) at 2,764 cases, treatment/procedures and tests (suturing, intra-articular injections, ultrasound and electrocardiogram tests) at 2,112 cases, surgeries (proxy surgeries, entering surgery fees, suturing surgical sites, etc.) at 1,703 cases, and drug management (chemotherapy preparation) at 389 cases.

Regarding the reasons for performing illegal medical practices despite knowing they were illegal, the most common response was "because I was the only one who could do it," at 31.7%. A significant number also responded that they were forced to perform illegal medical practices due to power dynamics (28.7%) or employment threats (18.8%).

In addition, the Korean Nurses Association strongly criticized the Ministry of Health and Welfare's stance that whether an act performed by a nurse is illegal or not should be decided individually depending on the situation, stating, "The list classifying illegal tasks was created based on the first research related to the 2021 'Pilot Project for Medical Support Personnel,' which was conducted by the Ministry and deliberated through the Health and Medical Development Council," and added, "This is a denial of the pilot project results promoted by the government itself."

Tak Young-ran, the 1st Vice President of the Korean Nurses Association, said, "We will consider taking measures through investigative agencies, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, and other public institutions upon reports from members who have been ordered or witnessed illegal medical practices."

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