Section 14

SCHEDULE 1 NURSES AND MIDWIVES REGISTRATION ACT Composition and Tenure of the Council [Section 3 (1)] 1. The Council shall consist of, (a) the Principal Nursing Officer, the Matron Grade I, the Principal Tutor of the School of Nursing, the Supervisor of Public Health Nurses, the Inspector of Midwives, the Matron Grade II, the Senior Public Health Nurse, the President of the Nurses Association of Belize, who shall be ex officio members of the Council; (b) three members of the Nurses Association of Belize, one of whom shall be a nurse with an expanded role, elected according to the rules set out in the Second Schedule; and (c) two representatives of the public, one of whom shall be a professional nurse, appointed by the Minister. Nurses and Midwives Registration 15 2. The names of the persons appointed by the Minister and the members of the Nurses Association of Belize, elected by financial members of the Association from among their number in accordance with the rules set out in the Second Schedule, shall be published by the Registrar of the Council in the Gazette. 3. The elected and appointed members of the Council shall hold office for a term of three years from the expiry of the term of office of their predecessors in office. Elected members may at any time before the expiration of their term be removed by a resolution of the Nurses Association of Belize. 4. If the place of an appointed or elected member of the Council becomes vacant before the expiry of his term of office, whether by death, resignation or otherwise, the vacancy shall be filled, in the case of an appointed member, by appointment of another person similarly qualified, by the person by whom the vacating member was appointed, and in the case of an elected member, by the election of another person qualified to represent the same interests as those represented by the vacating member. Any person so appointed or elected shall hold office for only so long as the member in whose stead he is appointed, or elected, would have held office. 5. Any appointed or elected member of the Council shall be eligible for re-appointment or re-election, as the case may be, to a further term of office. 6. The representatives of the public appointed by the Minister shall hold office for such period as the Minister may determine at the time of making the appointments, but the Minister may at any time cancel the appointments and appoint other persons similarly qualified to the Council. 7. The powers of the Council may be exercised notwithstanding any vacancy in their number. 16 8. An appointed member may resign from the Council by letter addressed to the Minister, and an elected member may resign from the Council by letter addressed to the Chairperson of the Council. 9. If an ex officio member of the Council is prevented, by illness, temporary absence from Belize or any other cause, from serving on the Council, and no officer has been appointed to act in his office, the Minister may appoint another officer to the Council to act in his stead until such member is again able to serve on the Council, or until some other officer is appointed to perform the duties of his office, whichever is the earlier. 10. If an appointed or elected member of the Council is prevented, by illness, temporary absence from Belize or any other cause, from serving on the Council, the Council may, in its discretion, ask the person or body, by whom that member was appointed or elected, to appoint or elect another person, as the case may be, to act in the place of the member until such member is again able to perform his duties, or ceases to be a member of the Council, whichever is the earlier. Nurses and Midwives Registration 17 SCHEDULE 2 NURSES AND MIDWIVES REGISTRATION ACT Nurses and Midwives (Election To Council) Rules [Paragraphs 1 (b) and 2 of First Schedule] 1. These rules may be cited as the Nurses and Midwives (Election to Council) Rules. Short title. 2. In these rules, Interpretation. “Association” means the Nurses Association of Belize; “Committee” means the Nominating Committee elected under rule 3 of these rules; “Council” means the Nurses and Midwives Council for Belize; “financial member” means a member of the Association who is not in arrears with his subscription to the Association; “President” means the President of the Association; “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Association. 3. The Association shall elect from among its members a Nominating Committee of four members. It shall be the duty of the Nominating Committee to propose candidates for election to the Council. Nominating Committee. 4. Only financial members of the Association shall be eligible for election to the Council or to vote at such an election. Eligibility for voting of election. 5.-(1) Whenever it becomes necessary to elect members to serve on the Council, the Committee shall nominate at least Nominations. 18 seven nurses, two of whom must be nurses with expanded roles, as candidates for election. (2) At least seven days before any meeting at which an election to the Council is to be held, the Secretary shall send by post to every financial member of the Association a list of the candidates nominated for election. 6.-(1) Elections shall be under the control of the Secretary who shall make all arrangements and be responsible for the conduct of elections. (2) Voting shall be by secret ballot on ballot papers supplied by the Secretary among those members of the Association entitled to vote who are present at the meeting during which the election is held. (3) The Secretary shall call the names of all the eligible members, and each such member who desires to vote shall cast his vote by secret ballot. (4) When all the eligible members who wish to do so have voted, the President shall examine the ballot papers with the assistance of the Secretary, and report the ballot. (5) The Secretary shall notify the Chairperson of the Council of the result of any election within forty-eight hours of the holding thereof.