Medical workers oppose deregulation on temporary staffing

The Health, Labor, and Welfare Ministry has decided to conditionally accept a system allowing hospitals to hire doctors and nurses on a contingency basis. The Koizumi Cabinet will include this deregulation in its basic policy for economic and fiscal reform.

The Temporary Staffing Law bans hospitals from accepting contingent workers in medical services. Employment of doctors and nurses are currently "controlled by government ordinances". This means that a new government ordinance can implement deregulation without the need to change the law.

Up until March, the HL&W Ministry was opposed to the use of temporary workers to staff hospitals on the grounds that good teamwork by medical staff members is necessary to prevent medical mishaps. The ministry then changed its position and supported the deregulation on the condition that medical workers for temporary staffing be identified in advance. Apparently the ministry has succumbed to pressure from the government, which works to secure the interests of business circles.

The Japan Federation of Medical Workers Unions (Iroren) published a statement of protest on June 25 saying that deregulation will disrupt safe medical services and will make jobs more unstable and worsen working conditions. The statement also called into question the fact that labor is not represented in the government council discussing the issue and that the panel arrived at the conclusion without adequate discussion. (end)