ICN reiterates its support for the enactment of new law to consolidate the independent status of nursing in Korea

ICN Chief Executive Officer Howard Catton has repeated ICN’s support for the Korean Nurses Association’s (KNA) long campaign to have the Nursing Act passed by the government of the Republic of Korea.

In a speech given during the KNA’s centennial celebrations in Seoul, Mr Catton praised the achievements of the KNA and pledged ICN’s support for the legislation. Mr Catton said nursing had developed and flourished in the Republic of Korea, and become a modern, forward thinking, professional and highly regarded nursing workforce.

“ICN has always stood alongside the KNA, and I am proud of the relationship that we maintain between the two organisations, and of the mutual support and cooperation that we have enjoyed over the decades.

‘And that is why today, I want to re-state ICN’s firm commitment to supporting your calls for Korea’s Nursing Act to be passed into law as soon as possible.

‘ICN congratulated the Korean government when it established its Nursing Policy Division to develop policies to improve health services both for patients and nursing professionals.

‘Now it is time to take the next step, recognizing and supporting the development of nursing, which will enhance the health of the whole Korean population. ‘Nursing is an independent profession that deserves to be governed in its own terms, not as a subordinate workforce.”

Mr Catton said the enactment of the Nursing Act would ensure the proper recognition and advancement of the nursing profession, to the benefit of patients, families and communities everywhere. He pointed out that the World Health Organization (WHO) global nursing strategy, approved by WHO member states, including Korea, calls for the modernization and strengthening of nursing regulation in all member states.