Islamabad: President of Pakistan has approved the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council (Amendment) Ordinance, handing over all powers of the council to the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination.
Under the ordinance, a new 19-member committee will run the council and elect its own president and vice president, but the federal secretary health will hold veto power over all decisions.
The federal DG Health, nursing directors of all four provinces, one nurse each from the private sector of every province, one Lady Health Visitor and one midwife will also sit on the committee.
It has been made mandatory that the secretary of the Nursing Council must be a registered nurse with a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. In addition, a philanthropist, a chartered accountant and a legal expert will be inducted through advertisements.
The new body will also oversee registration and re-inspection of nursing colleges across Pakistan, a move aimed at curbing the mushroom growth of substandard institutions.
Officials said the ordinance was necessary as the council had long been marred by mismanagement, political appointments and irregularities in recognition of nursing and midwifery colleges.
Allegations of bogus diplomas, poor training quality and outdated curricula had undermined the credibility of Pakistan’s nursing sector, prompting the government to intervene.
Pakistan continues to face an acute shortage of nurses, midwives and Lady Health Visitors, with less than one nurse per 1,000 population. Experts say weak regulation and unchecked growth of private colleges has worsened the crisis, leaving graduates poorly trained and unable to gain international recognition.
The health ministry maintains that tighter control will ensure accountability and align nursing education with global standards. However, professional bodies and nursing associations are expected to resist the move, warning that excessive bureaucratic control could sideline nurses and midwives from decision-making in their own council.