Lawmakers vote to approve a nursing bill at the National Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

A protest by doctors is intensifying as nurses are set to be allowed to practice medicine under a new law, amid a prolonged walkout by trainee physicians.

The National Assembly passed a bill Wednesday to define the roles of physician assistant (PA) nurses and allow them to play greater roles in treating patients beyond simple clinical tasks under the supervision of a doctor.

If signed by President Yoon Suk Yeol, PA nurses would have greater autonomy in providing health care services, including some medical practices only doctors have so far been allowed to perform. The law could come into force as early as June 2025.

This bipartisan legislation comes at a time when hospitals across the country are struggling with shortages of labor after trainee doctors began staging a walkout in February in protest of the government's decision to hike medical school enrollment quotas.

Over the past seven months since the doctors left hospitals, many nurses have been stepping in to fill their roles to maintain essential medical services.

Under the current law, nurses are only permitted to assist doctors in practicing medicine, in addition to their primary role of caring for patients.

The bill passed by lawmakers does not define the range of PA nurses' roles, which would be determined by enforcement ordinances proposed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

The Korean Medical Association, a trade union of doctors, issued a statement criticizing the Assembly for approving the bill, expressing its "deep resentment."

"As we stated many times previously, the nursing law would deepen conflict among medical workers and destroy the training system for trainee doctors. It would also put nurses at risk as they could face legal troubles over various possible incidents," the organization said.

It also said such a law would eventually lead to medical "chaos" as PA nurses would de facto act as doctors in many hospitals where "unlicensed medical practices would be rampant."

"The public will suffer the consequences," the organization warned.

A physician assistant is a profession allowed to practice medicine under the supervision of a licensed doctor. The roles of physician assistants differ across countries and states in which they work alongside doctors.

In some U.S. states, physician assistants may perform examinations and procedures, order treatments, diagnose illnesses, prescribe medications and interpret diagnostic tests among others.

The Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union, which has nurses and other non-physician medical employees as members, welcomed the passing of the bill, saying medicine practiced by nurses would finally be protected under the law after decades of efforts for the legislation.

"This would open the way to help solve medical labor shortages caused by a strike by trainee doctors and save more patients' lives," the union said in a statement.

It said the next challenge for administrators and lawmakers is establishing a reliable system to educate PA nurses, who have recently been burdened with tasks left behind by trainee doctors without being trained properly.

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong vowed to set up such a system promptly.

"The passing of the nursing act has provided a legal basis for providing high-quality nursing services through the training of excellent nursing personnel," he said. "The government will do its utmost to ensure the smooth implementation of new measures to help nurses grow as professionals and work in the field with pride."

The PA bill is expected to intensify tensions between the government and doctors who have demanded it rescind the quota hike decision.

Speaking to reporters, Wednesday, an official at the presidential office said its position on the issue has been the same and it will continue to push to finish necessary reforms in the country's medical system.