Dhaka: The Cabinet on Monday gave the final approval to the draft of the ‘Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council Bill 2016’ with a provision to form a council for the registration of professionals having degrees on nursing, midwifery and related professions.

The approval was given at the regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at Bangladesh Secretariat in Dhaka with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said the 24-member council would be formed with the Health and Family Welfare Secretary as its ex-officio head.

Like the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC), he said, the Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council would give recognition to education, training and qualification of the nursing and midwifery professionals.

The proposed law has been formulated to replace the Bangladesh Nursing Ordinance, 1983, Shafiul Alam said adding that it was placed in more expanded form including midwifery as well as translating it into Bangla as per the earlier directives of the Supreme Court declaring illegal all the Martial Law regime ordinances.

Elaborating the salient features of the draft law, he said, any person willing to use his or her degrees on midwifery education and nursing like nursing diploma and postgraduate on nursing received from any institution at home and abroad must be recognised by the council.

As per the draft law, Shafiul Alam said, taking up the profession of nursing, midwifery and their related professions would be prohibited without registration with the council.

On violation of the law, the Cabinet Secretary said any one taking up the profession of nursing and midwifery without valid registration will have to face maximum three years of imprisonment or maximum Tk one lakh fine or both.

The registration of nurse, midwife or related professionals violating the specific rules and policies by their conduct will be cancelled and their names will be withdrawn from the council register.

He mentioned that any aggrieved person could appeal before the government through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare within 30 days of cancellation of the registration by the Council.

For giving false designation of nursing, midwifery and related profession, the person concerned will have to face maximum one year imprisonment or maximum Tk 50,000 fine.