A protest by doctors is intensifying as nurses are set to be allowed to practice medicine under a new law, amid a prolonged walkout by trainee physicians.
The National Assembly passed a bill Wednesday to define the roles of physician assistant (PA) nurses and allow them to play greater roles in treating patients beyond simple clinical tasks under the supervision of a doctor.
If signed by President Yoon Suk Yeol, PA nurses would have greater autonomy in providing health care services, including some medical practices only doctors have so far been allowed to perform. The law could come into force as early as June 2025.
This bipartisan legislation comes at a time when hospitals across the country are struggling with shortages of labor after trainee doctors began 스포츠 staging a walkout in February in protest of the government’s decision to hike medical school enrollment quotas.
Over the past seven months since the doctors left hospitals, many nurses have been stepping in to fill their roles to maintain essential medical services.
Under the current law, nurses are only permitted to assist doctors in practicing medicine, in addition to their primary role of caring for patients.
The bill passed by lawmakers does not define the range of PA nurses’ roles, which would be determined by enforcement ordinances proposed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
The Korean Medical Association, a trade union of doctors, issued a statement criticizing the Assembly for approving the bill, expressing its “deep resentment.”