(a) No person shall practice midwifery without first receiving from the Department of Human Resources a certificate of authority as provided in this Code section and registering his or her name, address, and occupation with the county board of health and the local registrar, as defined in Code Section 31-10-2, of vital statistics in the county and district in which he or she lives.

(b) Persons desiring to enter into or continue the practice of midwifery shall make written application to the department through the county board of health in the county of their residence. All applicants for permits to practice midwifery shall be of good character and sound mind, shall be free of tuberculosis, venereal diseases, and other communicable diseases in the infectious stage, and shall be protected against smallpox.

(c) In order to become eligible for a certificate of authority to practice midwifery, applicants shall attend classes and satisfactorily complete courses of instruction therein to be prescribed by the department and shall pass an examination covering such courses. Such applicants shall also pass such physical examinations or, in the alternative, provide such evidence with regard to their personal health as the department may require.

(d) The department or any county board of health designated by the department shall issue, or refuse to issue, or, having issued, may suspend or revoke certificates of authority to practice midwifery under and in accordance with this chapter and such rules and regulations as may be issued and promulgated under this chapter. Certificates issued under this chapter shall be renewable annually at such time and in such manner as prescribed by the department. Suspension and revocation of certificates shall be subject to the administrative procedures contained in Article 1 of Chapter 5 of this title.