New licensing for nurses to improve healthcare
19.01.2010
In a move towards better standards of healthcare, nurses and midwives in Seychelles must now have a licence that will have to be renewed every three years.
This ends the old system of lifelong registration and brings the country into line with many other parts of the world.
The nurses and midwives themselves agreed unanimously to the change after much discussion and consultation on new developments in healthcare and new challenges facing their professions.
The new licensing system will be administered by the Seychelles Nurses and Midwives Council, which governs the work and training of nurses and midwives here, ensuring safe practice by maintaining and improving standards.
This includes practising within the scope of the Nurses and Midwives Act 1985, having a valid licence to practice, and abiding by the code of conduct and code of ethics of the professions.
The council ensures that the training and practice of nursing and midwifery in Seychelles remain on a par with developments regionally and internationally.
In a press release yesterday, the Seychelles Nurses and Midwives Council said the introduction of periodic registration and a practice licence for nurses and midwives is seen as an important landmark in the professions.
Periodic registration/licensing will not be automatic as nurses and midwives will need to meet the standards set by the council to earn a practice licence. All nurses and midwives registered by the council will receive individual information about the changes.
From this month all nurses and midwives registered and practising in Seychelles will have to apply for a practice licence, and having met the council’s requirement they will receive a certificate.
The licence will be valid for three years at a fee of R300, and a licensed nurse or midwife who does not wish to renew her/his practice licence must notify the council three months before the expiry date.
The council is recommending that all registered nurses and midwives keep up to date with new developments in the professions.
When seeking employment, a nurse or midwife must ensure her/his practice licence is valid, it adds. Failure to comply with the set regulations will result in illegal practice.