Minister of Health and Wellness, the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville started debate in the House of Assembly on the Nurses and Midwives Bill 2022. The passage of the bill would repeal the current act.
In his contribution to the debate Dr. Darville said, “the primary focus of this bill is to bring a higher level of focus to the way that nursing is practiced in our country. It speaks specifically to the various categories of nursing and the need of continuous training, regulation, preservation and standard of professionalism.”
The bill also retains that Nursing Council and its functions in law. According to Dr. Darville, “in this Nurses and Midwives Bill 2022, this entity remains and the continuance of its function and duties of the registrar are vital to the nursing profession. The council is now change to eleven member council appointed in consultation with the minister.”
Leader of the Opposition and Member of Parliament for Marco City, the Hon. Michael Pintard in his contribution to the debate spoke about what is still left to do. “As we celebrate this we have to be sober about what is left undone and dedicate ourselves to having a sense of urgency in moving this process forward. It is amazing that you would have facilities that have been, even clinics that you start under one administration and then another one comes in and then because they have a new person to give a contract to the scarce resources allocated is left to languish because they’re on a new run to produce something else. Meanwhile, the person’s who need health care are adversely affected.”
