간호법 제정의 법적 쟁점과 향후 과제

Conflicts in the medical field are intensifying over whether or not to enact the Nursing Act, which has emerged as a “hot potato” in the medical field. The Nursing Act is a bill that made provisions related to nursing personnel independent of the current Medical Act. In particular, it guarantees the role of nurses who are active in the community outside the hospital and improves the treatment of nurses, thereby expanding the scope of work for nurses and strengthening the treatment and role of nurses by securing nurse-related resources separately. The problem is that most occupational groups except nurses oppose the enactment of the Nursing Act as conflicts grow across the medical field over the Nursing Act. There was sharp confrontation in the political world over the enactment of the Nursing Act, but the Nursing Act was passed led by the opposition party. Since then, the ruling party and other medical organizations that have opposed the enactment of the Nursing Act expressed regret at once and urged the President to veto the bill (right to request reconsideration). In response, the President exercised the right to veto the enactment of the Nursing Act (right to request reconsideration), and the Nursing Act was re-voted in the National Assembly, but in the end the Nursing Act was abolished. However, it is quite meaningful that the Nursing Act, which separated the nursing area from the medical law system maintained for 70 years, passed the plenary session of the National Assembly, leaving behind conflicts in the medical field. We must not forget that securing nursing personnel is a task of the future as we enter an aging society. Since the Nursing Act is related to the reform of the health care system that has been maintained for more than 70 years, it is desirable to pass the bill again after sufficient discussions with other medical professions.