Cabinet approves the draft of "The Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council Law, 2016"

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

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

He said like Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC), 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, Alam said, adding that it was placed in a more "expanded form" as well as translating it into Bangla as per the directive of the Supreme Court that had earlier declared 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 in midwifery education and nursing like nursing diploma and post-graduate in nursing received from any institution at home and abroad must be recognized by the council.

The cabinet secretary said the council will hold at least two meetings in a year, and any decision would be adopted with a simple majority of votes of the members while quorum would be fulfilled with the attendance of one-third members.

According to the draft law, nurses, midwives and associate professionals will have to be registered with the Council, he said and added that a register will have to be maintained to this end preserving their names and other particulars.

Under the draft law, Alam said, acceptance of the profession of nursing, midwifery and the related professions without registration with the council would be prohibited.

He said the registration of nurses, midwives or related professionals who would violate the "specific rules and policy" will be cancelled and their names will be withdrawn from the register of the council.

The cabinet secretary said any aggrieved person could appeal to the government through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare within 30 days of cancellation of the registration by the Council.

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

The cabinet secretary said anyone taking the profession of nursing and midwifery without "valid registration" will have to face up to three years' imprisonment or a maximum fine of Taka one lakh or both.

Alam said the cabinet also approved in principle the draft of "The Civil Aviation Law, 2016" replacing the existing Civil Aviation Ordinance of 1960.

He said since promulgation of the ordinance in 1960, the civil aviation sector has witnessed massive changes over the period and there was a binding requirement from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to update the necessary laws.

The cabinet secretary said that the new law considering the global perspective of the civil aviation sector has expanded the scope of the government for formulating rules like appointing security officials in flights, providing assistance to the victims and their family members in case of accidents, utilization of national career as civil aviation flights, economic development and control of civil aviation.

Alam said that if any foreign aircraft intentionally violates Bangladesh air space, then the persons responsible for the offense would have to suffer a maximum of seven years' imprisonment or Tk two crore as fine.

Besides, "safety oversight responsibilities" have been ensured in case of bringing any foreign aircraft on lease to Bangladesh or sending any Bangladeshi aircraft on lease to foreign countries.

He, however, said that in case of operating flight in a risky way, the concerned pilots would have to be face a maximum of five years' jail or a fine of Tk one crore.

On the whole, Alam said that draft law accommodated the changes that the global aviation industry has witnessed over the years.

He said the cabinet also endorsed in principle the draft of the "The Public Procurement (4th amendment) Bill, 2016".

Under the proposed amendment, he said, the tenderers under the "open tendering method" would not be able to quote price either 10 percent plus or minus of the official estimated cost of the tender bids. Otherwise, their tender bids would be cancelled.

He said that the new proposed amendment also raised the ceiling of tender bids under limited tendering method to Tk three crore from the existing Tk two crore in case of enlisted limited participants or tenderers.

The cabinet was also apprised of the participation of the Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister in the World Travel Mart (WTM) 2015 held in London on November 2-6, 2015.

Earlier, a condolence motion was unanimously adopted by the cabinet at the death of former social welfare minister and valiant freedom fighter Enamul Haque Mostafa Shaheed.

Ministers and state ministers attended the meeting while secretaries concerned were present.