Chapter I PRELIMINARY

1. (1) This Act may be called the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Act, 2023.
2. (2) It shall come into force on 1such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint; and different dates may be appointed for different provisions of this Act and any reference in any provision to the commencement of this Act shall be construed as a reference to the coming into force of that provision.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,--

1. (a) "Autonomous Board" means any of the Autonomous Boards constituted under section 11;
2. (b) "Chairperson" means the Chairperson of the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission appointed under section 4;
3. (c) "Fund" means the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Fund referred to in section 38;
4. (d) "midwifery" means a skilled, knowledgeable, and compassionate care for childbearing women, new-born infants and families across the continuum from pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, birth, postpartum and the early weeks of life and includes--
   • (i) preventive measures;
   • (ii) promotion of normal birth;
   • (iii) detection of complications in mother and child;
   • (iv) accessing of medical care or other appropriate assistance;
   • (v) appropriate and timely referrals; and
   • (vi) carrying out emergency measures as per the scope of practice as specified by the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission;
5. (e) "midwifery associate" means a member of the health team, who has acquired the recognised qualification and is granted licence to practice as midwifery associate by the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission, who--
   • (i) assists doctors or nurse practitioners in midwifery in the delivery of babies; and
   • (ii) provides care during pregnancy, labour and postpartum period and instruct parents in baby care as per the scope of practice specified by the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission;
6. (f) "midwifery professional" means a person who has obtained the recognised basic or advance qualification and is granted licence to practice by the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission;
7. (g) "National Commission" means the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission constituted under section 3;
8. (h) "National Register" means the Indian Nurses and Midwives' Register maintained by the Nursing and Midwifery Ethics and Registration Board under section 25;
   • (i) "notification" means a notification published in the Gazette of India or the Official Gazette of a State, as the case may be, and the expression "notify" with its grammatical variation and cognate expressions shall be construed accordingly;
9. (j) "nurse" means a healthcare professional who--
   • (i) has completed a formally recognised programme of basic, generalised nursing education and who has acquired the requisite qualification and is granted licence to practice nursing by the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission; and
   • (ii) demonstrates competency in the practice of nursing;
10. (k) "nurse practitioner" means a licensed nurse who--
    • (i) has completed a formally recognised advanced education and training programme and has acquired the requisite qualification and is granted licence to practice by the National Commission; and
    • (ii) demonstrates clinical competencies for the scope of practice, complex decision making and have expert knowledge in the area of specialisation;
11. (l) "nurse practitioner in midwifery" means a licensed nurse, who--
    • (i) has completed a formally recognised advanced education and training programme and who has acquired the requisite qualification and is granted licence to practice by the National Commission; and
    • (ii) demonstrates clinical competency for the scope of practice, complex decision making and have expert knowledge in the area of specialisation;
12. (m) "nursing" means the autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and communities, sick or well and includes the promotion of health, prevention of illness, care of physically ill, mentally ill, disabled and dying people in all healthcare and other community settings by--
    • (i) carrying out healthcare teaching;
    • (ii) participating fully as a member of the healthcare team; and
    • (iii) supervising and training nursing and healthcare auxiliaries, additional key nursing roles including advocacy, promotion of a safe environment, research, participation in shaping health policy, in-patient health systems management and education;
13. (n) "Nursing and Midwifery Assessment and Rating Board" means the Nursing and Midwifery Assessment and Rating Board constituted under clause (b) of sub-section (1) of section 11;
14. (o) "Nursing and Midwifery Ethics and Registration Board" means the Nursing and Midwifery Ethics and Registration Board constituted under clause (c) of sub-section (1) of section 11;
15. (p) "nursing and midwifery institution" means an educational and training institution or a research institution within India, recognised under this Act, which grants diploma or undergraduate or postgraduate or any other post degree diploma or certificate in nursing and midwifery, and includes affiliated colleges and deemed to be Universities;
16. (q) "nursing and midwifery leader" means any nursing or midwifery professional, who is the Dean of a nursing educational institution, or Principal or Vice-Principal of a college of nursing, or Nursing Superintendent, or Chief Nursing Officer of the Nursing and Midwifery Department, in any institution or healthcare facility and possessing such qualifications and experience as may be prescribed;
17. (r) "Nursing and Midwifery Undergraduate and Postgraduate Education Board" means the Nursing and Midwifery Undergraduate and Postgraduate Education Board constituted under clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 11;
18. (s) "nursing associate" means a member of the health team, who has acquired the recognised qualification and is granted licence to practice as nursing associate by the National Commission, who provides care for the sick and injured including those in need of nursing care in varied health settings within his authorised scope of practice;
19. (t) "nursing professional" means a nurse registered with the National Commission, having basic or advance qualification and includes a nurse practitioner in any speciality;
20. (u) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
    • (v) "qualification" means the level of courses such as diploma, undergraduate degree, postgraduate degree and higher qualification including certification courses, inclusive of the specified curriculum of such courses or programmes;
21. (w) "recognised nursing and midwifery qualification" means a nursing and midwifery qualification recognised under section 28 or section 29 or section 32, as the case may be;
    • (x) "registered professional" means any associate or professional in nursing and midwifery who is registered with any of the State Commissions or, as the case may be, the National Commission under section 25;
22. (y) "regulations" means the regulations made by the National Commission under section 52;
23. (z) "State Commission" means the State Nursing and Midwifery Commission constituted under section 23;
24. (za) "State Register" means the State Register for Nursing Professionals and Midwifery Professionals or the State Register for Nurse Associates and Midwifery Associates, maintained by State Commission under section 25;
25. (zb) "University" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in clause (f) of section 2 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 and includes an institution declared to be deemed University under section 3 of that Act.