Health, Welfare and Medical Solidarity Rally in Yeouido... "Condemning the Forced Enactment of the Nursing Act"

The Health, Welfare, and Medical Solidarity is holding a general rally on the 26th in Yeouido, Seoul, opposing the enactment of the Nursing Act.
[Photo by Korea Medical Association]

Healthcare organizations opposing the enactment of the Nursing Act held a large-scale protest rally over the weekend.

The Health and Welfare Medical Solidarity, composed of 13 healthcare professional organizations including the Korean Medical Association and the Korean Licensed Practical Nurses Association, held the "General Rally to Condemn the Forced Passage of the Nursing Act and the Medical License Act" on the 26th in Yeouido, Seoul.

Lee Pil-su, president of the Korean Medical Association, stated, "The National Assembly and political circles, who should prioritize the health and safety of the people, are instead hastening the collapse of South Korea's healthcare system by forcibly passing the Nursing Act and the expanded Medical License Revocation Act through a direct plenary vote. This fills us with anger and despair," adding, "We strongly express our regret and resistance and clearly declare that we will carry out an all-out struggle until the Nursing Act is repealed."

The Health, Welfare, and Medical Solidarity held a mass rally opposing the enactment of the Nursing Act on the 26th in Yeouido, Seoul, followed by a street march.
[Photo by Korea Medical Association]

Gwak Ji-yeon, president of the Korean Licensed Practical Nurses Association, also said, "The Democratic Party of Korea unilaterally pushed through the Nursing Act, which only represents the erroneous position of the nurses' organization, thereby going against parliamentary democracy and abandoning the basic principles of a democratic society," emphasizing, "We will definitely remember the lawmakers who led the forced passage of this parliamentary bill."

At the rally, speeches by representatives of the medical solidarity, encouragement speeches, solidarity speeches, a head-shaving ceremony, chanting of slogans, reading of a resolution, and a street march were held. Park Myung-ha, president of the Seoul Medical Association, who was recently elected chairman of the Emergency Special Committee to Block the Nursing Act, declared the launch of the committee, saying, "We, 140,000 doctors and 4 million health and welfare medical workers, strongly warn the Democratic Party of Korea that has betrayed us and declare an all-out struggle to block this evil law."