[Public Voices]What Matters Is Not the Nursing Act, but Nursing Policy

Conflicts surrounding the Nursing Act are intensifying. In the 70-year history of healthcare in our country, it is the first time that the healthcare sector has been split and fought for two years. It is a life-or-death struggle. The political world is also in turmoil. There is no dialogue or consultation. What exactly is the Nursing Act that has caused the entire nation to be in such chaos?

The Nursing Act contains provisions regarding nurses' license acquisition, scope of work, and improvement of treatment. However, the license acquisition and scope of work for nurses are identical to those in the current Medical Service Act. It simply separates the content related to nurses from the Medical Service Act. Of the 31 articles in the Nursing Act, 24 are the same as those in the Medical Service Act. The provisions on treatment improvement are similar to those in the Act on Support for Healthcare Personnel. Even these are declarative in nature. It only states that the government and heads of medical institutions should make efforts to improve nurses' treatment. It is optional to follow or not. The packaging has changed, but the contents remain the same. Such a high social cost is being paid just to change the packaging. From the public’s perspective, it is baffling.

Then, will changing the packaging improve nurses' working conditions? Unfortunately, even if the Nursing Act is enacted, nurses' working conditions will not dramatically improve. This is because it is not a problem that can be solved by law from the start. Improving nurses' working conditions or status is not achieved through laws with abstract phrases. The whole country should not engage in such a wasteful debate just to change the packaging.

Let’s listen to why nurses want the Nursing Act enacted. The reasons for proposing the Nursing Act, introduced by Representative Kim Min-seok and 48 other lawmakers, include the following: To secure skilled nurses and other personnel in the long term, it is necessary to implement systematic and comprehensive nursing policies to improve poor working conditions and resolve regional personnel supply imbalances. This is true. Nursing is a tough job. Due to the nature of the job, nurses must work three shifts. Work schedules change frequently. You cannot know when you will work or rest next month. When asked why, it is because of a shortage of nursing staff. When someone is sick and takes leave, or uses annual leave to care for young children, there is no substitute staff. One nurse cares for 18 patients. The nursing license is called a “7-year license (average tenure 7 years and 5 months).” The conditions are extremely poor. Because of this, the quality of nursing services cannot improve. People who have been hospitalized know this. Most of the personnel caring for patients are nurses. If nurses struggle, the damage directly affects the patients.

Improving nurses' working conditions is an urgent issue. The number of nurses working in hospitals must also be increased. This is necessary for the patients as well. The purpose of the Nursing Act proposal is very reasonable. Systematic and comprehensive nursing policies are needed. However, detailed content is not included in the law. Ultimately, it is a matter for the government to refine through policy. Before the Nursing Act was passed in the National Assembly plenary session, the government announced a comprehensive support plan for nursing personnel. It set a goal to reduce the number of patients per nurse from 16 to 5 and plans to implement this step by step. The plan also includes supporting the placement of substitute personnel with health insurance funds so that hospitals can create various working patterns and nurses can choose according to their personal circumstances. The day after the government announced the plan, the Korean Nurses Association issued a statement praising the government’s plan as systematic, comprehensive, and progressive. They also requested that the government thoroughly implement the plan and make proper investments. The government must implement the plan without fail with the determination to take responsibility for and improve nurses' treatment, as requested by the Nurses Association. If the plan is insufficient, the government must continuously listen to field opinions and make improvements. Policies must be tangible to nurses on the ground to be effective.

This is the correct answer. Let’s not fight over the Nursing Act. The diagnosis of the problem is accurate, but the prescription is wrong.

Baek Dae-yong, Chairman of the Korea Youth Legislative Policy Association · Lawyer