Nurses and midwives from all over the country yesterday gathered in Kigali to elect 6 members to the National Council of Nurses and Midwives (NCNM) board.

The election of the board members marks the inauguration of the council as stipulated by the ministerial decree and law establishing the NCNM.

Speaking before the elections, the Chief Nursing Officer in the Ministry of Health, Mary Murebwayire, said those elected fall into four categories; General nursing, mental health nursing, midwifery nurses and midwife educators.

"The establishment of NCNM means that each nurse and midwife in the country will be monitored on a regular basis. The law establishing the board clearly lists punitive measures that would be taken for any form of professional misconduct amongst midwives and nurses,” said Murebwayire.

She added that with the new council, the country’s nursing sector will improve and that the new board will also follow up on the education and operations of nurses.

Julie Kimonyo, a senior nurse, said that the appointment of the board chairman of the NCNM will be done in the first general assembly of the council which will be called and chaired by the Ministry of Health.

According to the law, the council is charged with protecting the public from anything that may endanger their lives from actions by nurses and midwives.

The council will also be charged with protecting the nursing and midwives profession, as well as establishing relations with regional and international agencies and associations of nurses and midwives.

Members of the board have a mandate of three years.

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