Government defends creation of the Order of Nurses.

The MINISTER of Health, Nazira Abdula, defended yesterday in Maputo, the approval of the draft law establishing the Bar of Mozambique Nurses (OEMo), an institution that aims to enhance and dignify this class of health professionals.

The official position was expressed during a parliamentary hearing that Nazira Abdul had with the Committee on Social Affairs, Gender, Technology and Social Communication of the National Assembly, which served to clarify the deputies around the proposition.

At the time the holder of the portfolio of Health said that the government decided to agree to the proposal to create this advanced order by the sector on the grounds that the economic, social and political development of the country necessitates the involvement and accountability of all stakeholders in providing health care.

"According to the Five-Year Plan of the Government, the area of ​​health is one of the priority of state activity and it directly impacts on citizens," said the minister, and then defended the adoption of more consistent legal mechanisms to the new demands of society as regards the exercise of the nursing profession in Mozambique.

During the presentation of the document to members of the committee headed by Mrs Conceita Sortane, the Minister of Health said the proposal also aims to make the registration of nurses in the country at all levels, from basic to higher, recognize the professional nursing class, supervise its activities, ensure compliance with professional ethics and deontology, promote the training of nurses in the country, encourage the development of research in nursing and provide technical cooperation, as well as defending the class and encourage social support to this professional class.

In this context, it is proposed that the Order of Mozambican Nurses is a legal public entity independent of state bodies, representative of nurses, conducting themselves by their own standards and with legal administrative, financial, patrimonial, scientific personalities of their own.

For the Government, the creation of this order does not presuppose the dissolution of the National Association of Nurses and other professional association. "The big difference is that enrollment in the association is voluntary and the Order shall be compulsory", stressed the minister.

The draft law establishing the Bar of Mozambican Nurses states, moreover, that fundamental duties of nurses comply with the ethical standards governing the exercise of the nursing profession, maintain professional secrecy, participate in the Order's activities,defend the good name and prestige of the Order, act firmly, in all circumstances, to defend the collective interests, among others.

The document notes, moreover, that anyone can subscribe to OEMO be it Mozambican or foreigner, of basic, secondary or higher education, graduated in Nursing by training institutions duly recognized by the Government of the Republic of Mozambique.


In OEMO the various titles of nurses are recognized and its members are spread over several categories, namely full member, associate, trainee, honorary and collective member.

Before the hearing with the Minister of Health Committee on Social Affairs of RA met with representatives of the National Association of Mozambican Nurses, an organization that is behind the creation of this proposal. At the time the president of this college, Maria Olga Mucavele, welcomed the fact that Parliament is already working for the adoption of this device, stating that this instrument will elevate the class of nurses.


At the time the leader of ANEMO(National Association of Mozambican Nurses) expressed concern around a claim of the Government to see incorporated into the Statute of the Mozambique Nurses on the General Status of Health officials. "We believe that the Nurses Order of the Statute must be separate from Status General of Health officials because this organ comes to specific issues of a class that has high specificity, "explained Maria Mucavele.


Just yesterday several other committees made specific work, with emphasis on Constitutional Affairs, Human Rights and Legality, which also focused on the proposed creation of the Order of Nurses, a document that will be debated in Parliament on Thursday.

For the AR(Assembly of the republic) specialty commission if it is a proposal that does not present unconstitutional vices or unlawful, then it should propose to the plenary of Assembly of the republic for its adoption, taking into account the improvements made to the original text by the different committees of the RA that technically analyzed the document of the Council of Ministers.