Prohibition to practice except as provided in the Act

(1) Save as provided in this Act, no person shall practise or hold himself out, whether directly or indirectly as practising habitually or for personal gain as a nurse, midwife, auxiliary nurse-midwife, health visitor or dai within the State. (2) Any person who contravenes the provision of sub-section (1) shall be punished with fine which may extend to rupees five hundred. (1) The Council shall cause to be prepared a list of persons practising as nurse, midwife, auxiliary nurse-midwife, health visitor or dai in the State immediately before the date specified under sub-section (1) of section 3 (hereinafter in this section referred to as the “specified date”) as are not eligible for registration under the Act or are not deemed to be enrolled on the State Register under clause (c) of section 35. (2) Any practitioner falling under sub-section (1) and desirous of getting his or her name incorporated in the list referred to therein shall submit an application in the prescribed form together with the prescribed fee to the Registrar within six months from the specified date: Provided that the State Government may, by notification, for reasons to be specified therein, extend the aforesaid period by a further period not exceeding three months. (3) The Council, after making such enquiry as it deems fit to make and on being satisfied that the applicant was practising as a nurse, midwife, auxiliary nurse-midwife, health visitor or dai immediately before the specified date, shall incorporate the name of the applicant in the list. (4) The provisions of section 20 shall apply to any order passed by the Council under sub-section (3) as they apply to an order under section 15 or section 17. (5) The person whose name is included in the list prepared under this section shall be entitled to all the privileges of a registered person specified in section 16. (6) The Registrar shall, as soon as may be, after the expiry of the period specified in sub-section (2) or such further period as may be extended thereunder, publish the list of persons prepared under sub-section (1) in the Gazette and the publication of such list shall be the conclusive evidence of the eligibility of the person included therein to practice as a nurse, midwife, auxiliary nurse-midwife, health visitor, or dai, as the case may be, in pursuance of the provisions of this section.