According to Law N° 88-022 of 16 December 1988 modifying certain
provisions of law N° 84-09 of 5 December 1984 regulating the practice
of the profession of nurse, midwife, and medical-sanitary technician, no
one may exercise the above-mentioned professions unless he or she is:
- Of Cameroonian nationality;
- holds a diploma as a nurse, midwife, or medical-health technician or any
other title recognized by the State to practice the profession; - Registered with the Order of Nurses, Midwives or Medical-Health
Technicians - approved under the conditions laid down by the decree.
The obligation of registration in the roll of the Order provided for in
Article 2 above applies neither to persons serving as technical assistants
in the administration nor to those belonging to the active cadres of the
national armed forces.
Student nurses, midwives, or medical technicians may be allowed to
provide health services during their holidays, provided they have
successfully completed two years of health training and are supervised
by an experienced professional or by medical staff.
Nurses, midwives, and medical-health technicians serving in the
administration or those serving as technical assistants may not engage
in private practice.
Unless an exemption is granted by the decree, any midwife, any nurse or
any medical technician who has directly or indirectly benefited from a scholarship or financial assistance from the State for his professional training, may not engage in private practice unless he has at least ten years of effective service in the administration.
The establishment of a nurse, a midwife, or a medico-health technician in a specific professional residence with a view to private practice shall be subject to obtaining authorization under the conditions laid down in a specific text.
A medical practice, laboratory, or birth clinic may only remain open in the absence of its proprietor if the latter has been regularly replaced.
The normal duration of a replacement may not exceed one year.
In the event of the death of a nurse, a midwife, or a medical technician
who owns a practice, a laboratory, or a health facility, the period during
which the surviving spouse or his or her dependants are entitled to
maintain the activity by a replacement may not exceed three years; it
may be renewed once only.
If, at the end of the above-mentioned period, one of the children of the
deceased is engaged in professional studies within the framework of
the health training concerned, the health facility of the dead may
be reserved for him.
The authority shall determine the modalities of replacement
responsible for public health after consultation with the Council of the
Order.
Subject to the derogations provided for in the code of ethics, all nurses,
midwives and medical/health technicians are obliged to comply with
the requests of the public authorities.