'Opposition to the Nursing Act' Second Continuous Strike... Shortened Medical Treatment Scale Expands Further

One Day Off for Dentists, 20,000 Dental Assistants Participate

The healthcare sector opposing the enactment of the Nursing Act will begin its second consecutive leave strike on the 11th. The scale of participation is expected to increase compared to the first strike on the 3rd, likely causing some inconvenience in the use of certain medical institutions.

The first strike action of the Health, Welfare, and Medical Solidarity held near Yeouido National Assembly Station in Seoul on the 3rd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The 'Health and Welfare Medical Solidarity,' which includes 13 healthcare professional organizations such as the Korean Medical Association and the Korean Assistant Nurses Association, will hold the '4 Million Health and Welfare Medical Solidarity Healthcare Pause, Nursing Act and License Revocation Act Abolition 2nd Consecutive Leave Strike' simultaneously in 15 regions nationwide in the afternoon. In Seoul, the event will take place from 5:30 PM in front of Yeouido National Assembly Station, and in Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon, Ulsan, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Chungbuk, Chungnam, Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, Gyeongnam, and Jeju, it will be held simultaneously between 4 PM and 7 PM.

Compared to the first strike on the 3rd, when about 10,000 assistant nurses participated nationwide, the scale of the strike has grown significantly. The Korean Dental Association, which did not participate in the first strike, resolved at its general assembly to join by having dentists close their clinics for one day. With the number of participating assistant nurses increasing to 20,000, shortened hours at clinic-level medical institutions are also inevitable. Additionally, care workers, radiologists, health information managers, emergency medical technicians, and clinical pathologists have also decided to participate in the consecutive leave strike.

The Health and Welfare Medical Solidarity stated, "To minimize confusion in medical and welfare fields and to raise awareness of the serious problems of the Nursing Act without threatening the public’s right to health, we are holding the second nationwide simultaneous consecutive leave strike." They added, "We will definitely stop the Nursing Act, which disrupts medical collaboration, shakes the healthcare system, and standardizes the professionalism of assistant nurses and several minor professions, thereby lowering the overall quality of medical care and caregiving."

Kim Young-kyung, President of the Korean Nurses Association, began a hunger strike on the morning of the 9th at the Korean Nurses Association in Jung-gu, Seoul, to advocate for the enactment of the Nursing Act. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, the Korean Nurses Association, which demands the enactment of the Nursing Act, has begun an indefinite fasting protest, demanding the promulgation of the Nursing Act passed by the National Assembly plenary session. On the 9th, starting at 5 PM, five representatives including Kim Young-kyung, president of the Korean Nurses Association, began fasting in front of the Korean Nurses Association building in Jung-gu, Seoul. President Kim emphasized, "The Nursing Act is in crisis due to slander and false claims by groups opposing the Nursing Act," and added, "We will throw ourselves into this with the resolve of 'live and die together'." The Korean Nurses Association expressed deep regret over the attitudes of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the ruling party, and also strongly expressed regret toward opposing groups such as the Korean Medical Association and the Korean Assistant Nurses Association.