Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2004, published 93rd ILC session (2005)

Nursing Personnel Convention, 1977 (No. 149) - Belarus (Ratification: 1979)

The Committee notes that the Government, in its succinct report, indicates that there have been no changes in national legislation and practice with respect to the application of the Convention during the reporting period. The Committee observes, however, that the Government has failed to provide concrete information in response to its previous comments. It is therefore bound to reiterate its request for clarifications and documented information regarding the application of the following provisions of the Convention.

Article 2, paragraph 2(b), of the Convention. To enable the Committee to better evaluate the consistency of the national policy concerning nursing services and nursing personnel with the requirements of the Convention, the Government is requested to provide full particulars, including official texts and statistics, on the employment and working conditions of health-care workers including career prospects and remuneration. While noting the Government’s statement in an earlier report that current legislation provides for bonuses in the form of wage supplements and increased leave for district nurses and certain other categories of medical staff with middle-level medical training, the Committee asks the Government to transmit copies of all legislative texts providing for such benefits. It also renews its request for copies of the resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 724 of 1 December 1992 and of the Order of the Ministry of Health No. 232 of 19 August 1998 to which reference was also made in past reports.

Article 5, paragraph 1. The Committee requests the Government to specify how it is ensured in law and in practice the participation of nursing personnel in the planning of nursing services and consultation with such personnel on decisions concerning them, as required under this Article of the Convention. The Committee would appreciate receiving copies of any relevant laws or regulations in this respect. While recalling the Government’s past reference to the establishment of the National Nurses’ Council and the National Nurses’ Association and the convening of the first Nurses’ Congress in 1995, the Committee would also be grateful if the Government could supply additional information on the activities of these bodies and any recent decisions or initiatives taken for the improvement of the existing conditions under which the nursing profession is exercised and nursing care is provided. In addition, the Committee understands that hospital partnership programmes are currently under way with foreign institutions aiming at upgrading the skills of nursing staff and addressing the critical need for improved health care. In this regard, the Committee would welcome all practical information on the implementation and the outcome of such projects.

Article 7. The Committee requests the Government to continue providing information on any measures, whether legislative, administrative or others, aimed at improving the occupational safety and health conditions in which the nursing profession is carried out. It also requests the Government to provide up-to-date information on the preventive measures taken or contemplated with respect to the risk of accidental exposure to HIV/AIDS among nursing personnel as well as on any known cases of infection.

Part V of the report form. The Committee asks the Government to supply all available information on the application of the Convention in practice, including, for instance, statistical data on the number of nurses currently employed in both the public and private sectors, the distribution of nursing personnel by geographical region, the ratio of nurses to population, the number of students attending nursing schools and the number of nurses leaving the profession, copies of recent studies or publications examining the employment and working conditions of nursing personnel, as well as any practical difficulties encountered in the implementation of the Convention.