'Opposition Direct Referral' Nursing Act and Medical Act Passed in National Assembly Plenary Session... Ruling Party Boycott (Update)

The Medical Service Act amendment bill and the Nursing Act establishment bill, which were unilaterally submitted by the opposition party, passed the National Assembly plenary session on the 27th. The ruling party plans to recommend the president exercise the right to request a reconsideration of the Nursing Act that passed the National Assembly.

In the plenary session held that afternoon, the National Assembly voted on the Nursing Act establishment bill, passing it with 179 votes in favor and 2 abstentions out of 181 members present. The Medical Service Act amendment bill was approved with 154 votes in favor, 1 against, and 22 abstentions out of 177 members present. Members of the People Power Party left the chamber as the vote began and did not participate in the vote.

The Nursing Act clarifies the scope of nurses' duties and strengthens the treatment of nursing personnel. The Medical Service Act amendment includes provisions to revoke the license of medical personnel who receive a prison sentence of more than imprisonment without labor and prohibit reissuance for 10 years. The National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee directly submitted a total of six bills, including the Medical Service Act amendment and the Nursing Act establishment bill, to the plenary session in February. On the 23rd of last month, just before the plenary session, the Medical Service Act was postponed by bipartisan agreement.

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The ruling party plans to request the president's right to request reconsideration regarding the Nursing Act, which was processed solely by the opposition party. Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, said at the morning Supreme Council meeting, "If they ultimately force the passage of contentious bills such as the Nursing Act, we will have no choice but to recommend the president exercise the right to request reconsideration."

Regarding the Medical Service Act, the position is not to recommend the right to request reconsideration for now. Lee Yang-su, senior deputy floor leader of the People Power Party, told reporters at the National Assembly in the afternoon that although the Democratic Party can be criticized for handling the Medical Service Act too unilaterally, "it seems difficult to consider requesting reconsideration."

Earlier, the floor leaders of both parties tried to reconcile differences through several closed-door meetings and meetings with the Speaker until the morning but ultimately failed. The ruling party proposed a compromise by renaming the bill as the "Nurse Treatment Act" to improve treatment and dividing the scope of duties between the existing Medical Service Act and this law through meetings with medical and health organizations. Regarding the Medical Service Act, the scope of license revocation was narrowed to cases where a prison sentence of more than imprisonment without labor is imposed for 'medical-related crimes, sex crimes, and violent crimes,' rather than all crimes. However, the Korean Nurses Association and the opposition party insisted on the original bill.

Before the vote, both parties conducted debates for and against.

From the People Power Party, Choi Yeon-sook, a nurse and the bill's proposer, spoke in favor. Choi said, "The Nursing Act is to reconsider social responsibility and is a law for the state's duty to secure skilled nursing personnel," adding, "During the 21st general election, both parties promised to enact the Nursing Act, and it was proposed by Seo Jeong-sook of the People Power Party, Kim Min-seok of the Democratic Party, and myself from the then People's Party." When Choi became emotional during the debate, opposition party members applauded. Kim Won-gi of the Democratic Party recited the names of 27 People Power Party members who co-sponsored the Nursing Act with Choi.

Lee Jong-sung of the People Power Party spoke against, saying, "The People Power Party is not unconditionally opposing the Nursing Act. What we are concerned about is the Democratic Party's violent approach," and added, "Why was it directly submitted, ignoring all procedures? Are you tearing apart 5 million health and welfare workers just to protect party leader Lee Jae-myung?"

Regarding the Medical Service Act amendment, Kang Hoon-sik of the Democratic Party spoke in favor, saying, "You may remember the incident early in the 21st National Assembly when a patient who came for a sedation endoscopy was sexually assaulted by a doctor after general anesthesia, which caused great public outrage," and added, "Although most medical personnel do not commit such acts, considering the special nature of medical practice and its significant impact on public health, a high level of expertise and professional ethics is required of medical personnel. I want to emphasize that these bills were unanimously passed by both parties."

Choi Jae-hyung of the People Power Party said, "I can fully agree with adding disqualifications for serious crimes such as murder and sexual assault crimes that seriously affect the trust relationship between patients and medical personnel," but opposed by saying, "However, restricting or revoking medical licenses for all crimes with imprisonment sentences regardless of the type of crime, such as simple negligence traffic accidents, property crimes, or administrative law violations, is an excessive restriction on the occupational freedom of medical personnel."

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