NURSES AND MIDWIVES are opposing an increase to a new increased registration fee being sought by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).
The cost for registering for 2015 is set to increase by 50% from €100 to €150.
The fee for registering for 2013 stood at €88, meaning that nurses and midwifes have faced a 70% increase over the past two years.
So far an online petition organised by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) opposing the cuts has received a substantial amount of support.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, General Secretary of the INMO Liam Doran, said:
The board does not enjoy support or confidence or registers at the moment. The increase is way out of line.
“Registration fee for teachers sits at €65 for teachers for allied health professionals €100 euros… the reason they have – paying the legal expenses – that should be paid by the Department of Health.”
Doran went on to specify that he does not oppose the advances made by the NMBI in terms of improving regulation for the industry.
On the increase in fees, President of the NMBI Paul Gallagher, said:
It is always hard to make increases, especially adding an extra euro a week. But as has been the case in implementing Acts in other regulatory bodies, the resulting changes from the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011 place additional requirements on the NMBI in terms of legislative and procedural changes.
The new measures under the act include the introduction of public inquiries and and other functions.
It is estimated by the INMO that the legal costs of the NMBI have risen from around €1.5 million to €2.4 million in the last year. The NMBI does not receive Government funding.
A protest is set to take place next week outside a conference organised by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland over the increase in the registration fee.
The conference is being conducted to introduce a new code for nurses and midwives.
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