The healthcare sector opposing the enactment of the Nursing Act began full-scale collective action on the 3rd, starting with a 'leave strike.' Although partial strikes such as shortened consultations occurred at some primary medical institutions (clinic level), there was no significant disruption in the medical field.
On the 3rd, a notice stating that medical treatment will be conducted with a minimum number of staff is posted at a hospital in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The 'Health and Welfare Medical Solidarity' (Medical Solidarity), which includes 13 healthcare professional organizations such as the Korean Medical Association, the Korean Licensed Practical Nurses Association, and the Korean Emergency Medical Technicians Association, simultaneously launched leave strikes across the country in Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Daegu, Gyeonggi, Gyeongnam, and Jeonnam in the afternoon.
In Seoul, from 5:30 PM in front of Yeouido National Assembly Station, a rally condemning the Democratic Party of Korea for forcibly passing the Nursing Act and License Revocation Act was held with about 3,000 participants. They criticized, "The Nursing Act is a 'Special Act for Nurses' and a law that deprives the survival rights of minor healthcare professions," and stated, "The Democratic Party of Korea committed a legislative outrage by forcibly passing the Nursing Act and License Revocation Act, which the vast majority of healthcare workers oppose."
On this first day of struggle, they raised their voices against the enactment of the Nursing Act through leave and partial clinic closures. Approximately 4,000 licensed practical nurses in Seoul and 10,000 nationwide participated in the leave strike, and about 20% of private emergency transport teams also took leave in the afternoon to join.
Since this first strike was conducted voluntarily, it did not lead to major disruptions in the medical field; however, some clinic-level medical institutions shortened consultation hours or operated with minimal staff, causing inconvenience in various places. Clinic A in Jung-gu, Seoul posted a notice stating, "Due to the leave strike to block the Nursing Act and License Revocation Act, consultations will be available only until 4:30 PM. We ask for your kind understanding." Clinic B in Yongsan-gu also announced it would be open only until 1 PM and closed in the afternoon, joining the leave strike. One director who shortened consultation hours said, "We apologize to the patients who came, but we decided to shorten consultation hours to support the medical solidarity."
The government requested restraint in partial clinic closures but reiterated concerns about the enactment of the Nursing Act. The Ministry of Health and Welfare held the 4th Emergency Situation Inspection Meeting chaired by Deputy Minister Park Min-su to review healthcare sector trends and consultation status. The previous day, they sent 'Emergency Medical Measures for Partial Clinic Closures in the Medical Sector' to 17 cities and provinces and instructed measures to prevent gaps in medical services based on this. The Korea Hospital Association was asked to cooperate in extending consultation hours at hospital-level and higher medical institutions and maintaining a 24-hour emergency medical system.
Meanwhile, Minister Cho Kyu-hong visited Bundang Lusk Rehabilitation Hospital in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, a nursing and caregiving integrated hospital, stating, "Services that the public truly demands, like the nursing and caregiving integrated system, can only be completed when various caregiving professions trust and cooperate as a 'one team.'" He added, "I am concerned that conflicts between professions may arise within the nursing and caregiving integrated services due to the National Assembly's approval of the Nursing Act."
The Medical Solidarity plans to proceed with a second strike on the 11th following the first leave strike on this day. They also announced that if there are no follow-up measures such as President Yoon Suk-yeol exercising his veto power, they will launch a general strike on the 17th. Park Myung-ha, the Emergency Committee Chairman of the Korean Medical Association, explained, "We do not want to cause inconvenience and concerns due to medical service gaps, so we will carefully consider and adjust the methods and intensity of the struggle."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
