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History

HISTORY OF TAMILNADU NURSES AND MIDWIVES COUNCIL FROM INCEPTION (1928)

A vital legislation for control of Nurses, Midwives and Dhais who were carrying on unlicensed practice of their profession in the Presidency of Madras was introduced in the Madras Legislative Assembly in 1926 and passed as Act III of 1926. It may reasonably be thought that this legislation could have been passed 14 years earlier when the Medical Registration Act of 1914 was passed. However, it is the first of its kind in India and Madras can take pride in the fact that it is the premier. Presidency of India to get the enviable honour of having a Statutory Council entrusted with the task of opening the First Register's of Nurses and Midwives and admitting thereto trained and untrained persons practicing their profession as Nurses and/or as Midwives in the Madras Presidency.

The term Presidency then connected the composite Madras State which included the present States of Tamilnadu, Andhrapradesh and Kerala (excluding the Indian State of Travancore and Cochin) As provided in Sub-section (1) of Section 1 of the Act, A Council called the Madras Nurses and Midwives Council was then formed. The Assent of the British Government, a vital legislation for regulating the Nursing training and practice was passed by the Legislature was made on 7th May 1926 and signed by the Governor General on the 9th June 1926. The same was published in Fort St. George Gazette on the 29th June 1926. The Madras Nurses and Midwives Act III of 1926 came into force on the 14th day of February 1928.

It is called the Madras Nurses and Midwives Act III of 1926. It was amended as per Nurses and Midwives Act VII of 1934 and Act XXVI(26) of 1960. This Council is an autonomous statutory registration body for registering qualified Nurses, Midwives, Auxiliary-Nurse-Midwives /Multipurpose Health Workers / Health Visitors as per the provisions of the Act. It extends its registration to Union Territories ie: Pondicherry and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The syllabus for the training of nurses was revised in 1927 by adopting the syllabus prescribed by the General Nursing Council for England and Wales, London in a modified form.

This council is the earliest piece of legislation on Nursing in the whole of South-East Asia. The first meeting of the Council was held on 11th April, 1928 under the presidentship of Maj.Gen.F.H.G. Hutchinson, I.M.S., the Surgeon-General with the Government of Madras. The second meeting of the Council held on 20-03-1929 gave recognition to nine hospitals as training institutions for nurses, four hospitals for midwives and 35 hospitals for dhais. The first Register of Nurses, Midwives and Dhais was compiled and printed and published in 1930. A Registrar was also appointed to carry out the functions of the Council and to implement its decisions.

Current Involvement

  • Computerization of all the Council data from the inception
  • Upgrade the Software to expedite the function of the council
  • RN, RM Certificates are issued within an hour
  • Development of Nurses Data Bank to maintain the Live Registry
  • Renewal of licensure from July 1st 2013 onwards only through Online
  • TNNMC Journals on 6 specialties biannually released
  • Introduction of CNE – Online/Regular
  • Faculty Management Software Development
  • Institution Management Software Development
  • Nurses Research Archive

There are six levels of nursing education in India today. They are :

1) Multy Purpose Health Worker Female training (ANM or MPHW-F)
2) Female Health Supervisor training (HV or MPHS-F)
3) General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM)
4) BSc. Nursing
5) MSc. Nursing
6) MPhil and PhD

The ANM, HV, and GNM are conducted in schools of nursing. The last 3 are university level courses and the respective universities conduct examinations. Beside there are several certificate and diploma courses in specialties.

Nursing education has expanded considerably post independence. University education in nursing brought about changes in nursing education. The type of nurses required today is an "all round personality". Education brings changes in behaviour of the individual in a desirable manner. It aims at all round development of an individual to become mature, self-sufficient, intellectually, culturally refined, socially efficient and spiritually advanced.

Act

The Tamil Nadu Nurses and Midwives Act