Pakistan Nursing Council Act (PNC), 1973 (Repealed by Act No. XXXVII of 2026, s. 53 (w.e.f 04-06-2026))

This law, the Pakistan Nursing Council Act, 1973, used to govern the registration and training of nurses, midwives, and lady health visitors in Pakistan. As its title indicates, it has now been repealed by Act No. XXXVII of 2026, section 53, with effect from 4 June 2026 — so at the time of this summary it is no longer in force, and anyone relying on it should check whatever successor law replaced it for the current legal position.

While it was in force, the Act set up the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council (Section 3) as a body corporate responsible for regulating the nursing and midwifery professions. Section 2 defined the key roles the Council regulated, including registered nurses, midwives, Lady Health Visitors, Nurse Practitioners, and Clinical Nurse Specialists. Section 2A described the Council's purpose as protecting public health, ensuring competence of registered professionals, and liaising with stakeholders on nursing education and practice. Section 3A listed the Council's powers, including licensing and registering nurses and midwives, prescribing requirements for good character and health of applicants, setting curricula, and accrediting nursing education institutions — while expressly barring the Council from authorising these professionals to prescribe drugs or medical devices without prior Federal Government approval.

Sections 4 to 10 dealt with the Council's internal governance: the term of office of members, filling casual vacancies, meetings, the President and Vice-President, the Executive Committee, and the Council's Secretary, Finance Director, and support staff. Sections 11 to 18 covered the Nursing Examination Board and the recognition (and withdrawal of recognition) of nursing and midwifery training institutions and foreign qualifications. Sections 19 to 23 governed the maintenance of the professional register, removing names from it, disqualification from registration, and prohibiting the employment of unregistered nurses. Section 24 provided for penalties for certain offences, though the extract does not state any specific fine or imprisonment figures. Section 26 and 26A allowed the Council and the Federal Government respectively to make regulations and rules, and a schedule listed recognised nursing and midwifery qualifications (such as the BSN, Post-RN Bachelor's, MSN, and LHV diploma).

The extract shows heavy amendment history, most notably the Pakistan Nursing Council (Amendment) Act, 2023, which substituted or inserted large parts of the Act (definitions, establishment provisions, Council powers, the Schedule, and more). Given this amendment history and the fact that the Act has since been repealed altogether, any figures, section numbers, or provisions described here should be checked against the current, governing statute rather than relied upon directly.