NURSES AND MIDWIVES BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

5.00 p.m.

The Minister of State for Health (Dr Ang Kok Peng): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The Bill will bring about an amalgamation of the nursing and midwifery professions by having one controlling body to regulate their activities.

These two professions are now quite separate. Each is governed by its own regulatory body: the nurses by the Nursing Board and the midwives by the Midwives Board. Both Boards were established under authority of separate laws.

The first legislation on nurses known as the Nurses Registration Ordinance came into effect in February, 1949, and a Nursing Board was established to maintain a register of nurses and to regulate on the training and conduct of nurses.

The legislation for midwives was introduced very much earlier. The Midwives Ordinance was brought into effect in July, 1917. Amendments were passed subsequently in 1923 and 1924, and in 1959 new regulations were incorporated. Under this Ordinance, a Midwives Board was established with the function of maintaining a register and regulating the training and conduct of midwives.

Times have changed. Midwifery has now become a subject of study in the training of nurses. It is also taken as a course in the post-basic nursing training. Furthermore, fewer people arc choosing midwifery training solely. The sophistication of our population, increasing urbanisation and the extensive and comprehensive medical services have reduced the demand for domiciliary midwifery. More than 80% of all deliveries in Singapore are now undertaken in our Government medical institutions. The rest are delivered mainly in maternity homes. Only a few are delivered by private midwives at home.

Consequently midwifery should logically be regarded as another branch of nursing, the separate law on midwifery be abolished, and the activities in regard to nursing and midwifery be put under the jurisdiction of a single board The Singapore Nursing Board. This Board will supersede the Nursing and the Midwives Boards. The consolidation of the two professions and services will also lead to administrative convenience.

This, however, does not mean that midwives will play a role secondary to that of the nurses, neither does it suggest that midwifery is to be governed by a nursing body. On the contrary, the composition of the Board allows for both midwives and nurses to be represented. In addition to the traditional role of midwives which was confined in the main to the delivering of babies and giving advice to mothers on the care of children, the midwives nowadays also have an important role to play in family planning by giving counsel to parents on the need for planning a small family.

The Singapore Nursing Board will be responsible for ensuring that nurses and midwives who are to be emplaced on the register or roll have been adequately trained in accordance with the courses and examinations conducted by the Board. The Board shall also have powers to determine what qualifications are necessary for anyone seeking to be emplaced on its register or roll. In short, it will oversee, maintain and improve the standards of practice and conduct of nurses and midwives.

The Board is empowered also to impose punitive measures on those who choose to bring the professions to disrepute. Accordingly the Board is empowered to remove the names of such persons from the register or roll or impose as it sees fit lesser penalties such as cautioning, censuring or suspending persons for adverse practice. The Board is also empowered where it deems fit to restore names of persons to the register or roll. Aggrieved persons are allowed to appeal to the High Court.

A registrar of the Board is to be appointed and he shall be responsible for the preparation and maintenance of the register and roll and act as secretary to the Board.

The Act also prevents unqualified persons from taking the titles of nurse or midwife so that the public will not be misled. An offence under this section carries a fine not exceeding $1,000.

The Bill seeks to repeal the Nurses Registration Act and the Midwives Act. However, those whose names are already on the register or roll of nurses and midwives prior to the passing of this Bill will be deemed to have been registered or enrolled.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill.-[Dr Ang Kok Peng].

Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed.