New PNMC Council Holds First Meeting, Sets Course for Future

By: Omed Hajjana

Islamabad: The first ever meeting of the newly constituted management of the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council was held at the PNMC premises, on Tuesday.

The aim of the meeting to acknowledge the historic achievement through the kind support of former federal Minister of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Abdul Qadir Patel who brought revolutionary steps which translated prolong awaiting grievances and unsettles issues of nurses into the solution.

President of PNMC Jawad Amin Khan have decided in meeting that a letter of request for honoring a civil award to the nurses would be written. Over 90 % of Bogus Nursing Colleges Working in Sindh, reveals by committee

The President also made round of PNMC to assess and evaluate the infrastructural and functional capabilities and capacities of the council.

Jawad Amin also took serious notice of pending issue of registration cards while making round and warned them to clear backlog expeditiously within ten days.

Furthermore, he directed Secretary, PNMC to change the course of delivery of courier service to any reliable courier service rather than poor delivery service which is causing problems for nurses.

The significant event observed the participation of members including Shahid Hussain, Vice president, PNMC , Aijaz Kaleri, Fazale Moula , Malik Azizullah Kakar, Miss, Farzana Zulfiqar Ali, Dr, GM Choudhary, representing each province and also ex-officio members Mr. Muhammad Iqbal Joint Secretary M/o NHSR&C and Brig. Humaira Zaib, ensured their participation.

The Council reflected a unified commitment to address prevailing challenges and to reframe and reimagine a progressive future of nurses nationally and globally.

The council’s endeavors extend to fortifying the quality standards of nursing educational institutions, ensuring that aspiring nurses may be fostered quality standard education.

This commitment to excellence echoes with the council’s dedication and commitment to raising the overall competency and professionalism within the nursing colleges and institutions.

With an unwavering focus on renovation, the meeting’s agenda prominently highlighted discussions on far-reaching reforms featured to address critical concerns experienced by nurses across the country.

Paramount reforms among these is to launch a digitalization mechanism which may provide accessibility of appropriate documentation and the registration of license cards, streamlining administrative processes and enhancing capability of the council.

President and council take administrative steps by appointing Mrs. Fouzia Mushtaq as secretary PNMC and Mushtaq Soomro was appointed as Director Registration as per PNMC Amendment , Act 2023 .

The President also held a meeting with the stake holders and private nursing association and owners of private institutes, who presented their issues being faced for long time and president ensured them for speedy resolution of their issues.

Besides, he held meetings with different people concerned to nursing profession and addressed their grievances after detailed discussion with the secretary PNMC.

Newly appointed Mushtaq Soomro, Director of Registeration, talking to NewzTodays, said that the president expressed reservations regarding the hype created against the newly introduced amendment of nurse practitioner in which council discussed and tackled the matter of misinformation and misinterpretation of act at different national forums.

Mushtaq Soomro said that It was under discussion and decided to establish scope of practices which may not conflict with the SOPs set by PMDC but would be developed after reviewing by the committee constituted on two members from the PMDC will be included the in committee to work collectively on the SOPs to be set for the advance nurse practitioner to oversee various global and WHO perspectives regarding Advanced Nurse Practitioner.

Furthermore, he added that hype may not be created at media forums because of misinterpretations and confusions in understanding to Act.

Soomro maintained that the PNMC Council’s inaugural meeting marks a pivotal step in fostering an environment of innovation, collaboration, and progress within the health sector.

“It was also decided to collaborate with other council and provinces to work together for the betterment of profession and introduce high quality standard education to nurses that they may bring innovative in health sector”, he added.

In conclusion, President PNMC having dynamics international exposure promised to bring Pakistani nursing and Midwifery professional at par with developed countries in the world that will enhanced the image of profession, strengthen the health system and foster foreign remittance in Pakistan to ease economic prevailing crises.