Unionized nurses and other health care and medical professionals are set to launch a general strike from 7 a.m. Thursday in a move that is expected to have a visible impact on the general public.

According to the Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union on Monday, around 83 percent of 64-thousand-257 of its members cast votes between June 28 and last Friday, with 91-point-63 percent supporting the walkout.

The union has demanded an expansion of the comprehensive state system for nursing and caregiving, an increase in personnel, clarification on duties by profession and the eradication of illegal medical practices.

The union plans to have participating members gather in Seoul on Thursday to declare the large-scale walkout before staging the group action in four major cities of Seoul, Busan, Gwangju and Sejong starting Friday.

The umbrella Korean Confederation of Trade Unions is set to join the affiliate on Thursday and Friday.

The union will dispatch necessary personnel to departments directly linked to patients' well-being, including emergency rooms as well as operating, intensive care, and delivery departments to prevent a vacuum during the walkout.