ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Senate on Friday approved the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council Bill, 2026, following a dramatic tied vote that required the presiding officer to cast the deciding vote in favour of the legislation.
The bill, presented by Federal Minister for National Health Services Mustafa Kamal, aims to modernise and strengthen the country’s regulatory framework for nursing and midwifery education, licensing and professional standards.
The legislation seeks to consolidate existing laws governing nurses, midwives, nursing assistants and midwifery associates while replacing outdated legal provisions, including the framework introduced under the 1973 law.
The Senate session witnessed a sharp divide among lawmakers. During voting, 13 senators supported immediate passage of the bill, while another 13 voted in favour of referring it to a parliamentary committee for further review.
With the house evenly split, the presiding officer exercised a casting vote in support of the legislation, ultimately securing its approval in the upper house.
Speaking during the session, Mustafa Kamal urged senators to pass the bill without delay, arguing that the matter was time-sensitive.
“It should be passed today as the deadline is ending,” the minister told lawmakers during debate on the legislation.
However, senior Pakistan Peoples Party senator Sherry Rehman opposed rushing the bill through the Senate, saying members preferred sending it to committee for detailed examination.
Despite objections from some lawmakers, the bill was cleared after the decisive intervention of the chair.
Officials and lawmakers backing the legislation say the new law is designed to improve nursing and midwifery training standards, enhance professional competency requirements and strengthen regulatory oversight across Pakistan’s healthcare sector.
The move is also being viewed as part of broader efforts to modernise Pakistan’s healthcare governance system and align medical education standards with current national and international healthcare requirements.
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