Nursing bill raises tensions between doctors, nurses

Members of the Korean Nurses Association hold a rally calling for the Nursing Act to be enacted, aimed at improving their working conditions near the National Assembly in Seoul, Friday. (Yonhap)

Tensions have been rising between doctors and nurses due to proposed legislation that aims to clarify the roles and responsibilities of nurses separately from other health care professionals.

Health Minister Cho Kyu-hong was scheduled to accompany President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit to the United States on Monday, but the trip was cancelled due to the ongoing conflict. Minister Cho plans to hold emergency meetings to mediate between the two groups this week.

The proposed Nursing Act is set to be presented for approval at the National Assembly as early as Thursday. As well as laying out nurses' roles, it is designed to provide a legal basis to improve their working conditions.

Nurses' groups argue that nurses have long been suffering from poor working environments due to the absence of a separate law stipulating their legal roles and duties. Under the Medical Service Act, nurses must perform under the guidance of a medical doctor, but their roles are not clearly laid out.

Nurses say that, as this makes them subordinate to physicians, they can be forced to perform duties outside their job descriptions, often leading to overwork. Nurses have been calling for a separate law defining the specific roles of nurses and guaranteeing access to nursing services in the community since 2013.

However, doctors’ groups oppose letting nurses operate independently outside doctors' authority. Doctors warn that they might get confused if nurses are allowed to visit patients and provide health care independently.

A coalition of doctors' groups called the Korean Medical Association warned that if the bill is passed at the plenary session on Thursday, its 140,000 members will go on strike from May. In a statement, the KMA urged the president to veto the act if it passes.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to negotiate with nurses’ groups before the plenary session and reach a government-mediated settlement. It will also announce its plans to improve nurses’ working conditions, including measures to address workforce shortages and excessive workloads.

By Lee Jaeeun(jenn@heraldcorp.com)