An entrance of a hospital in Seoul (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Mar. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — Nurses will be allowed to perform CPR and administer medication for emergency patients beginning Friday, officials have said, as part of the government’s efforts to cope with disruptions of medical services due to the ongoing mass walkout by trainee doctors.
The guidelines by the Ministry of Health and Welfare will increase the roles of nurses at emergency care units, as the mass walkout entered its 17th day, with some 9,000 junior doctors defying the government’s order to return to work.
The guideline will be applied to nurses at teaching hospitals where trainee doctors left their worksites, according to the ministry.
The ministry launched a pilot program late last month, enabling nurses to undertake specific responsibilities held by doctors in a restricted capacity. The role includes performing CPR and injecting medication into patients in critical condition.
As the medical interns and residents, who play a vital role in assisting with surgeries and emergency services at major general hospitals, remained absent, local hospitals have been experiencing cancellations and delays in surgeries and emergency medical treatment.
The government has been pushing to increase physician numbers as a way to resolve the shortage of doctors in rural areas and essential medical fields, such as pediatrics and neurosurgery, and also given the super-aging population.
Doctors say the quota hikes will undermine the quality of medical education and other services and result in higher medical costs for patients. They have called for measures to first address the underpaid specialists and improve the legal protection against excessive medical malpractice lawsuits.
(Yonhap)
