{"id":2204476,"date":"2024-03-29T08:00:18","date_gmt":"2024-03-28T23:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2204476"},"modified":"2024-03-28T22:27:56","modified_gmt":"2024-03-28T13:27:56","slug":"south-korean-ruling-party-pushes-revised-nursing-act-amid-doctor-strikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/03\/south-korean-ruling-party-pushes-revised-nursing-act-amid-doctor-strikes\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korean ruling party pushes revised Nursing Act amid doctor strikes"},"content":{"rendered":"
South Korea\u2019s ruling People Power Party (PPP) has <\/span>proposed<\/span><\/a> a revised Nursing Act bill to pass it within the current National Assembly session. The bill, a modified version of the legislation vetoed by President Yoon Suk-yeol last year, was introduced through a lawmaker-sponsored process to expedite its passage ahead of the April 10 general election.<\/span><\/p>\n The new bill clearly defines the qualifications and scope of work for nurses, physician assistant nurses and nursing assistants. It also allows nurses to independently establish \u201chome nursing dedicated institutions,\u201d a provision expected to face opposition from doctors\u2019 groups who view it as granting nurses the right to set up long-term care facilities.<\/span><\/p>\n Why It Matters<\/b><\/p>\n The PPP\u2019s push for a revised Nursing Act bill contrasts with Yoon\u2019s previous <\/span>veto<\/span><\/a> of similar legislation last year, revealing the ruling party\u2019s willingness to find new allies to overcome the ongoing doctors\u2019 strike. Despite Yoon\u2019s <\/span>instructions<\/span><\/a> to Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to seek a flexible solution for the strike, general hospitals in South Korea have had to <\/span>temporarily shut down<\/span><\/a> parts of their wards and rearrange staff due to <\/span>medical professors\u2019<\/span><\/a> decision to support trainee doctors in their strike.<\/span><\/p>\n The PPP\u2019s revised stance appears as a pragmatic yet cynical effort to navigate the ongoing healthcare dispute by siding with nurses positioned to help mitigate the impact of the doctors\u2019 strike.<\/span><\/p>\n Concurrently, the Korean Medical Association (KMA) \u2014 the country\u2019s union for doctors \u2014 elected <\/span>Lim Hyun-taek<\/span><\/a> to be its new leader. Lim <\/span>said<\/span><\/a> on Wednesday that the KMA would help to determine the allocation of 20 National Assembly seats in the upcoming general election to continue its protest against the government\u2019s decision to expand the medical school admission quota by 2,000 spots starting next year, suggesting that the strike will likely continue even after the elections.<\/span><\/p>\n