TONGA

NURSES (AMENDMENT) ACT 2014
Act 3 of 2014

Arrangement of Sections 
Section 
1 Short title 
2 Long title amended 
3 Sections 2 to 43 general amended 
4 Section 2 amended 
5 Section 3 amended 
6 Part III heading amended 
7 Section 4(1) amended 
8 Section 6 amended 
9 Section 14 amended 
10 Section 23 amended 
11 Schedule amended – Form 1 

_______________________

NURSES (AMENDMENT) ACT 2014
Act 3 of 2014

AN ACT TO AMEND THE NURSES ACT 2001

I assent, 
TUPOU VI, 
19th June 2014. 

BE IT ENACTED by the King and Legislative Assembly of Tonga in the Legislature of the Kingdom as follows: 

1 Short title 

(1) This Act may be cited as the Nurses (Amendment) Act 2014. 

(2) The Nurses Act 2001 is in this Act referred to as the Principal Act. 

2 Long title amended 

The Long title of the Principal Act is amended by deleting "NURSES AND MIDWIVES" and replacing it with "NURSES, NURSE PRACTITIONERS AND MIDWIVES". 

3 Sections 2 to 43 general amended 

Sections 2 to 43 of the Principal Act is amended by – 

(a) deleting "nurse and midwife" wherever it appears and substituting it with "nurse, nurse practitioner and midwife"; 

(b) deleting "nurses and midwives" wherever it may be seen and substituting it with "nurses, nurse practitioners and midwives"; 

(c) deleting "nurse or midwife" wherever it may be seen and substituting it with "nurse, nurse practitioner or midwife"; and 

(d) deleting "nurses or midwives" wherever it may be seen and substituting with "nurses, nurse practitioners or midwives". 

4 Section 2 amended 

Section 2 of the Principal Act is amended by – 

(a) inserting the following definition in the correct alphabetical order – 

 ""nurse practitioner" means a person duly registered as such under this Act;"; and 

(b) deleting the definition of "register" and replacing it with the following – 

""register" means the register of nurses, register of nurse practitioners or the register of midwives maintained by the Board in pursuance with Part III of this Act;". 

5 Section 3 amended 

Section 3(3) of the Principal Act is amended by – 

(a) deleting the full stop after paragraph (f) and replacing it with ";"; and 

(b) inserting a new paragraph (g) as follows – 

"(g) the senior nurse practitioner of the Ministry of Health." 

6 Part III heading amended 

The Principal Act is amended by deleting the heading of Part III and replacing it with the following – 

"REGISTRATION OF NURSES, NURSE PRACTITIONERS AND MIDWIVES". 

7 Section 4(1) amended 

Section 4(1) of the Principal Act is amended by inserting after "nurses" the following ", a register of nurse practitioners". 

8 Section 6 amended 

Section 6 of the Principal Act is amended by deleting subsection (1) and replacing it with the following – 

"(1) Subject to this Act, a person is entitled to be registered as a nurse, nurse practitioner or midwife when upon application to the Board, the Board is satisfied that the person – 

(a) holds qualifications recognised by the Board for the purposes of registration on the respective register; 

(b) is of good character; and 

(c) has paid the prescribed fee.". 

9 Section 14 amended 

Section 14 of the Principal Act is amended, in the English version only, in the marginal note by inserting after the word "nurses" the following ", nurse practitioners". 

10 Section 23 amended 

Section 23 is of the Principal Act is amended – 

(a) in subsection (1) by renumbering the current paragraphs (d), (e) and (f) as subsections (e), (f) and (g) respectively; and 

(b) by inserting the following as the new paragraph (d) – 

"(d) the name and address of a nurse practitioner;". 

11 Schedule amended – Form 1 

The Schedule of the Principal Act is amended by amending Form 1 by inserting after the words "Register of Nurses" the following ", Nurse Practitioners". 

Passed by the Legislative Assembly this 31st day of March 2014.