Health ministry joins hospital groups to protect medical workers

The health ministry said Thursday it had signed a six-party agreement with hospital, nursing and labor organizations to tackle bullying and improve conditions for medical workers.

The ministry said the high intensity and responsibility of health-care work, which includes responsibility for patients' lives and safety, can expose staff to sustained tension and psychological stress. In a 2024 survey, 25 percent of health and welfare workers reported having experienced workplace bullying, the highest rate among industries. Health and welfare accounted for 16 percent of workplace-bullying complaints received in 2025, also the highest share.

Officials plan to strengthen counseling and support through channels such as a nurses' SOS service and link information on problem hospitals identified in the field to labor inspections. From July 15 to Aug. 14, the labor ministry is checking compliance with labor laws at 14 small and mid-sized hospitals that received numerous bullying reports over the previous three years.

Hospitals recommended by the Korean Hospital Association will receive fast-track access to workplace-innovation consulting, with cost-sharing for organizational-culture improvements waived. The program will screen less-experienced nurses for potential bullying risks from hierarchical workplace cultures, expand hospital-specific bullying-prevention training and develop a standard manual for improving organizational culture. The government also plans to extend working-hour reduction support to medical workers, including university hospital nurses outside existing support programs. The six organizations will form a health-care workplace innovation consultative body and review progress twice a year. Inha University Hospital sought consulting after struggling with turnover among newly hired nurses, while Samyook Busan Hospital reported substantially lower turnover after revising nursing shifts and improving its organizational culture.

"A workplace where health-care workers, including nurses, are respected leads directly to patient safety," Health Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong said. She called for adequate nurse staffing alongside hospital directors' efforts to improve organizational culture. "The precious hands that save patients must never face workplace bullying without protection," Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon said.