Seoul (AsiaNews) – Tens of thousands of South Korean nurses went on strike today after President Yoon Suk-Yeol's on Tuesday vetoed a bill designed to improve their pay and working conditions but opposed by doctors and nursing assistants, who believe the proposed legislation would hurt their jobs.
Last month, the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which has a large majority in the 300-member National Assembly, approved the Nursing Act, which is separate from the Medical Services Act. The new law is aimed at addressing nurses' concerns.
Nurses argue that the Medical Services Act subordinates them to physicians, and that they are often forced to perform tasks that go beyond their professional duties because of the ambiguities of the current law, resulting in overwork and lower quality care for patients.
Doctors describe the Nursing Act as an “evil” law that would allow nurses to interfere with their work and cause confusion in hospitals, putting patient safety at risk.
Nurses counter that such concerns are unfounded, insisting that the country needs more care centres to cope with a rapidly aging population.
Faced with such a stark contraposition, President Yoon used his presidential veto to stop the bill. However, under the Constitution of the Republic of (South) Korea, the National Assembly can override it by a two-third majority; otherwise, the bill is scrapped.
"The Nursing Act has caused excessive conflict between medical professionals," Yoon said during a cabinet meeting. "The move to separate nursing from medical institutions has also caused people to feel anxious about their health. It was regrettable that the Assembly failed to resolve such conflict”.
The nurses, however, have no intention of giving up. They accuse the president of betraying a pledge he made to them during his election campaign, hence today’s labour action.
For now, the walkout has had a limited impact. Most protesters used their holiday time or shortened their work hours. All major hospitals are reportedly operating normally.
