"Illegal Medical Practice Orders for Nurses Concentrated in Metropolitan Area... Strong Response Including Complaints"

Korean Nurses Association Continues Compliance Strike for 3 Weeks
14,234 Reports Filed... "Unfair Obstruction Too"

After the failure to enact the Nursing Act, the nursing community, which has entered a 'law-abiding struggle,' disclosed the results of an investigation and analysis of illegal medical practice orders and decided to strongly respond to unfair work orders and acts obstructing the law-abiding struggle.

Nurses affiliated with the Korean Nurses Association and related personnel held a general rally on the 19th of last month around Sejong-daero, Seoul, condemning President Yoon Seok-yeol's veto of the Nursing Act. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

On the 7th, the Korean Nurses Association held a press conference announcing the "Second Progress Report on the Law-Abiding Struggle Related to the Nursing Act," stating, "Among the ten hospital-level or higher medical institutions reported by name to the currently operating 'Illegal Medical Practice Reporting Center,' four are located in the metropolitan area." They claimed, "Participating nurses have been subjected to unfair dismissal and resignation recommendations, and due to fear of disadvantages and unfair treatment, they have not actively come forward."

According to the Korean Nurses Association, from the 18th of last month to the 5th of this month, a total of 14,234 reports were received at the Illegal Medical Practice Reporting Center. By type of act, tests (specimen collection, puncture) accounted for the highest number with 9,075 cases. This was followed by prescriptions and records with 8,066 cases, tube management (L-tube and T-tube replacement, intubation) with 3,256 cases, treatment/procedure and tests (suturing, intra-articular injection, ultrasound and electrocardiogram tests) with 2,695 cases, surgery (proxy surgery, entering surgical fees, etc.) with 1,954 cases, and drug management (anticancer drug preparation) with 593 cases.

The reasons for performing illegal medical practices despite knowing they were illegal were "hospital regulations, customs, accepted culture, hierarchical work relationships, and for the patient’s sake," accounting for 36.1% (3,875 cases), the highest proportion. Next were "because I was the only one to do it" at 25.6% (2,757 cases), "hierarchical relationship with employer" at 24.3% (2,619 cases), and "employment threats" at 14% (1,514 cases). The number of hospital-level or higher medical institutions reported by name was 359, with Seoul having the most at 64 institutions, followed by Gyeonggi (52), Daegu (27), and Gyeongbuk (26).

Additionally, 351 nurses suffered disadvantages due to the law-abiding struggle in the field. Cases of unfair dismissal or resignation recommendations numbered 4 and 13, respectively. It was also confirmed that nurses were forced to take on additional tasks outside nursing duties (55 cases), unfair work schedule assignments (30 cases), unilateral department transfers (17 cases), and unpaid leave recommendations (9 cases).

Tak Young-ran, the first vice president of the Korean Nurses Association, said, "The nurses’ law-abiding struggle is aimed at normalizing the current medical system rife with illegal practices to protect the lives and safety of the public, and it is a resistance movement against fake news about the Nursing Act and the president’s unjust veto." She added, "The nurses’ law-abiding struggle must be respected in a country governed by the rule of law." She emphasized, "We will never tolerate the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s behavior of treating nurses who are engaging in the law-abiding struggle as criminals, while medical institutions openly order unlicensed medical acts knowing they are illegal and the ministry has tacitly allowed this."

On the same day, the Korean Nurses Association also announced the third phase direction and response strategy related to the nurses’ law-abiding struggle. First, they plan to establish a 'Public Interest Commission Reporting Guidance System' on their website and proceed with filing complaints against medical institutions that force nurses to perform illegal medical practices through a team of advisory lawyers for anonymous proxy reporting. They also plan to launch a campaign for nurses to return their licenses and file complaints against the Minister and Vice Minister of Health and Welfare for spreading false information about the Nursing Act and neglecting duties regarding the nurses’ law-abiding struggle, demanding their dismissal.