Douglas backs Nurses and Midwives Bill
WITH STRONG BACKING FROM FOREIGN MINISTER DR DENZIL DOUGLAS, legislators passed the Nurses and Midwives (Registration) (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in the Federal Parliament recently.
“The nurses, of course, being professional people, are expected to conduct themselves in the pursuit of their profession in the highest regard for the ethics of their profession. Administering nursing services to patients and otherwise without being appropriately licensed is against the law,” Dr. Douglas said during the debate.
Douglas, who was also the Seconder of the measure, said the “registration of professionals is of very critical importance.”
Prime Minister, who is also the country’s Health Minister tabled the legislation.
Douglas reminded his colleague parliamentarians of the administration’s role in regulating the sector to protect patients.
“It is, therefore, important for us as a government to ensure that the environment and the preconditions for practicing are met at all times,” he said.
He said the legislative measure is “critically important…because for example, as I have been told, there are nurses who would have been trained and registered here [in St. Kitts and Nevis] but who may be residents in other countries nearby… and would have a difficulty if it is not done properly,” he said.
“They would not be able to administer their professional service unless they are appropriately registered,” the former prime minister explained.
He said in past years there were discussions at the regional level to change the registration of nurses from annual to biannual – every two years. However, it was critical to approach it legally.
“This is what we are doing here. This is the appropriate way where you must go back to your national councils, and they would pursue the matter in the way it should be pursued and then brought to the parliament,” he said.
The senior minister added, “It is a very simple piece of legislation, but it is critically important that we pursue matters in this country in a legal way.”
The Nurses and Midwives (Registration) (Amendment) Bill amends the Nurses and Midwives (Registration) Act, Cap. 9.17.
