Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1994, published 81st ILC session (1994)

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

The Committee notes the observations made by the Bangladesh Employers Association. It also notes that the Government's report contains no reply to its comments and that the legislation mentioned which was supposed to be sent to the Office (Prescribed Leave Rules, 1959 and the Course Outlines for Senior Registered Nurse Syllabus prescribed under section 19, paragraph 2(i) of the Bangladesh Nursing Council Ordinance) has not been received. It hopes that the next report will include full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request which read as follows:

(a) Article 3, paragraph 1 of the Convention. The Government stated in its report that regulations have been issued under section 19, paragraph 2 of the Bangladesh Nursing Ordinance of 1983 to lay down minimum standards for nursing education and training. The Committee would therefore appreciate it if the Government would communicate the text of the above regulations. Please also send copies of basic nursing syllabus and curriculum used by the private nursing centres.

(b) Article 6. The Committee noted the information supplied by the Government on hours of work of nursing personnel. It also noted that there are no specific regulations in this regard and that no compensation is granted for overtime and inconvenient hours of work, as is provided for in the Convention and in the Shops and Establishments Act, 1965 for workers employed in such types of establishments. The Committee hopes that the Government will be able to take the necessary measures to give effect to the requirements of paragraph (a) of the above Article of the Convention. The Government also stated that nurses in the public sector are entitled to paid annual holidays, educational leave, sick leave and social security benefits as other government employees in conformity with paragraphs (c), (d), (f) and (g) of this Article. Please indicate under what legislative or other provisions nursing personnel in the public sector enjoy the above-mentioned conditions as well as whether the above provisions are also applicable to nursing personnel in the private sector. (Please supply copies of the provisions guaranteeing these rights.)

The Committee also noted the information on the provisions applicable to other workers in the country - especially under the Shops and Establishments Act, 1965 in respect of benefits specified under paragraphs (d), (e) and (f) of this Article concerning educational leave, maternity leave and sick leave, respectively. Please indicate whether nursing personnel are also entitled to weekly rest as provided for in subparagraph (b) of Article 6 of the Convention.

(c) Point V of the report form (in conjunction with Article 2, paragraph 2). The Committee noted that nurses employed in the private health sector are not supervised by the Directorate of Nursing Services or by the Bangladesh Nursing Council. It also noted that the above Directorate is initiating efforts to work more closely with the privately employed nurses. The Committee requests the Government to keep it informed on the progress made in that respect and to provide general information on the manner in which the Convention is applied in practice (including, for example, statistics on the number of nursing personnel in the public and the private sector, and their relation to population and to other persons employed in the health field). Please also supply, if possible, data on the number of persons leaving the profession.