Nurses licensed to perform emergency care in Korea

Nurses were allowed to expand their roles in emergency rooms of major hospitals in South Korea from March 8 to cope with a shortage of medical staff, as a strike by more than 11,000 trainee doctors entered its 18th day, disrupting health care services.

To make up for the shortage of medical staff, emergency units at military hospitals have been opened to the public and the health sector has begun officially allowing nurses at major hospitals to perform CPR and provide medicine to emergency patients, Yonhap reported.

The Health Ministry launched a pilot program late last month that allows nurses to perform specific tasks typically performed by doctors on a limited scale. The government has decided to spend 188.2 billion won ($141 million) a month from the state health insurance fund to respond to the strike by trainee doctors.

KHANH HUNG