Mustafa Kamal says Pakistan needs around 900,000 nurses, while only around 6,000 are currently available
ISLAMABAD:
The Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council (PNMC), after its reconstitution, approved the registration of 55 nursing colleges, while four previously unregistered establishments were registered after four years after payment of fines worth millions of rupees.
Addressing a press conference at the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council headquarters, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal claimed that corruption was endemic in the previous nursing council and claimed that regulatory functions had effectively remained paralyzed for years.
He said the newly constituted council had begun to address a significant backlog in ongoing cases and introduce reforms to restore transparency and accountability.
He noted that Pakistan needed around 900,000 nurses, while only around 6,000 were currently available. For comparison, a neighboring country employed around 600,000 nurses, while the global nursing shortage stood at 2.5 million.
The minister claimed that the former council president had a fake diploma and that the previous municipal elections had also been fraudulent.
He claimed that the former president and deputy registrar had transformed the institution into a mafia-like network where demands of millions of rupees were allegedly made from colleges seeking approvals.
Kamal further alleged that despite court orders, the new administration was initially prevented from taking responsibility. “If I wanted corruption, why wouldn’t I have remained friends with the old administration? It was a money-making machine,” he added.
“Bring evidence. Show me a receipt for even a cup of tea, and if I don’t take disciplinary action, then I’m guilty.”
The minister said the government had promulgated an ordinance to dismantle the alleged corrupt network and reform the governance structure of the council.
Under the new framework, the board chair will be a grade 22 officer responsible for administrative decisions. A new council of 19 members has already been formed.
He argued that even if the order were to lapse, decisions taken during its validity would remain protected by law, citing the legal cover available in the higher courts.
Kamal revealed that no nursing schools had been registered after March 2025 and applications from 425 schools were still awaiting inspection.
He alleged that the inspection cell had effectively remained inactive for two years.
President Asif Ali Zardari has approved the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council Bill, 2026.
