On May 11th, PNU issued a statement urging the promulgation of the nursing law calling for the definite enactment of a nursing law.
As the voices of nurses for the promulgation of the nursing law nationwide continued, the Pusan National University (PNU) College of Nursing also announced a statement and joined the movement.
![On May 11th, our university's nursing school announced the "Statement Urging the Promulgation of the Nursing Law" at the auditorium of the nursing college [Provided by the Public Relations Office of PNU]](https://cdn.channelpnu.pusan.ac.kr/news/photo/202305/33362_14431_4917.jpg)
On May 11th, a statement urging the promulgation of the nursing law was made at the Auditorium of the College of Nursing. About 200 people attended the ceremony, including PNU professors, graduate students, and undergraduates of the College of Nursing, and graduate students of senior specialized nursing courses.
The statement also called for the definite enactment of a nursing law as soon as possible to improve the poor treatment of nurses and supplement the number of nursing staff. He also stressed that the current medical law cannot solve chronic problems. When the nursing law is enacted, it will be possible to establish a clear scope of work, improve the quality of nursing education, and arrange necessary nursing personnel efficiently. Lee Hae-Jung, dean of the College of Nursing, who attended the ceremony, said, “The nursing law, which was initiated by members of the National Assembly and passed the Assembly plenary session in accordance with the legitimate procedure, must be enacted and promulgated.” She continued, adding, "Through this announcement, I hope that the people around us, including the nursing staff, understand and support the background, necessity, and purpose of the nursing law enactment."
Students who participated in the statement also expect to be able to create a better medical environment through the enactment of nursing laws. Student A (College of Nursing, 20) said, "Currently when nurses are instructed to do unfair things beyond the scope of their work, they cannot resist the hierarchy and have no choice but to follow directions. If the contents and scope of nursing work become clear through the nursing law, confusion and conflict in the medical field will be reduced."
Although the statement urging the nursing law in the university has been made, there is a negative voice among medical students, including the Korean Medical Association. The possibility of opening the hospital by a nurse alone, caused by the expansion of community nursing activities, cannot be ruled out. Student B (School of Medicine, 20) said, "The nursing law is excessively biased toward the rights and interests of the job field as a nurse. I think the word “community” specified in the nursing law has a good chance of encroaching on the doctor's areas of work according to the interpretation."
Discussions on enacting the nursing law have been steadily raised since 2005. On April 27th, the nursing law was passed by the National Assembly, and the enactment of the nursing law was sparked, but it evoked strong opposition by the Korean Medical Association. On May 16th, President Yoon Suk-Yeol vetoed the nursing law in the ongoing conflict, and the discussion returned to its starting point.
Full text of the statement
“We urge promulgation of the nursing law, the promise of the state for national health.”
The nursing law, which was initiated by members of the National Assembly and passed the Assembly plenary session by the legitimate procedure, must be enacted and promulgated.
In this age of super-aged society and periodic infectious disease crises, the nursing law is a necessary law for the health of the people and patient safety, and it is a universal law that exists in 90 countries around the world.
The nursing law aims to cultivate excellent professional nurses and create an environment where skilled nurses can work continuously. The nursing law enactment is to train professional nurses, arrange appropriate numbers of nurses, and lay the legal groundwork for the clear scope of work. As the public demand for the changing medical system and various medical services increased, it was proposed by members of the National Assembly on March 25th, 2021. It passed the Assembly plenary session on April 27th, 2023, through sufficient deliberation and heated debate. This is in response to the public opinion that the nursing law enactment will provide a nursing care system that protects the health rights of the people.
The nursing law stipulates what is needed for nurses' work. Nonetheless, some organizations, including the Medical Association, mislead the nursing law into breaking down the health care system, for sole medical treatment and opening hospitals, and infringing or excluding some of the tasks. They also announce strikes on the plea of patients and the public and oppose the enactment of the nursing law. Moreover, the unfair behavior of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which spreads unfounded facts and other contents and encourages conflicts between the areas of occupation, also adds anxiety to the public.
The current medical law enacted in 1951 can no longer meet the rapidly changing health care environment and nursing needs of various community care sites. The law must reflect the times. Instead of treating nurses as heroes only in the event of a national infectious disease crisis, the scope of work should be clarified, treatment and working conditions should be improved, and nurses should perform legally permitted legitimate work so that excellent and skilled nurses can stay with the public for a long time and provide high-quality professional nursing care. For future nursing talents to make a healthy Korea, it is imperative to enact nursing laws.
A country that has nurses but no nursing laws.
Nurses have never left the patient despite the poor working conditions and murderous workload. The president and politicians should no longer ignore the voices of nurses and should not dismiss the nursing law as a political football. The nursing law should be enacted and promulgated so that nurses can faithfully carry out their roles under legal and institutional protection.
We urge the President's decision to promulgate the nursing law for the future of 120,000 nursing students, including PNU College of Nursing students.
May 11th, 2023
Professors, faculties, and students of the PNU College of Nursing
Reporter Sim Se-Hee
Translated by Kwon Eun-Ji