Nursing Act Passes Welfare Committee Subcommittee... Final Approval in Plenary Session Tomorrow

Final Processing Expected at the Plenary Session on the 28th

The Nursing Act bill passed the subcommittee of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee on the 27th.

Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, is reviewing documents at the 1st Subcommittee of the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee held on the night of the 27th at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, to examine the nursing bill, a contentious issue between the ruling and opposition parties. (Photo by Yonhap News)

The Health and Welfare Committee of the National Assembly held the first bill review subcommittee meeting from around 7 p.m. that day and processed the Nursing Act bill.

The Nursing Act bill centers on legally protecting the medical practices of Physician Assistant (PA) nurses.

As the medical crisis prolonged and public inconvenience grew, both ruling and opposition parties agreed on the necessity of the bill, allowing it to pass the National Assembly hurdle.

Initially, the Health and Welfare Committee aimed to handle the Nursing Act in the plenary session on the 28th, but discussions were suspended due to unresolved disagreements over the scope of work for PA nurses and the academic qualifications for nursing assistant exam applicants.

The government proposed a revised bill reflecting the opposition party's criticism that the scope of PA nurses' work was too broad, and on the 26th, the People Power Party requested the Democratic Party to review the government's revision, changing the situation.

With the bill passing the subcommittee by bipartisan agreement that day, it is expected to be finalized in the plenary session scheduled for the afternoon of the 28th after going through the full Health and Welfare Committee meeting and the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.