Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2005, published 95th ILC session (2006)

Nursing Personnel Convention, 1977 (No. 149) - French Polynesia

The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in its report and the attached documentation.

Article 2, paragraph 1, of the Convention. The Committee notes the Government’s reference to the "Health Plan 2001-2005", approved by the Assembly of French Polynesia through Deliberation No. 2001-153/APF of 30 August 2001, which sets out the main policy objectives and priorities in the field of public health. The Committee would be particularly interested in receiving information on concrete measures implementing the five-year plan and the practical results obtained in terms of professional advancement and quality of nursing care.

Article 7. The Committee notes the Government’s reference to different documents concerning the prevention of the infection of nursing personnel by blood-transmissible agents. It asks the Government to keep it informed of any further developments or initiatives on these matters.

In addition, the Committee wishes to draw the Government’s attention to the adoption in April 2005 of the Joint ILO/WHO Guidelines on Health Services and HIV/AIDS, which aim at promoting sound management of HIV/AIDS in health services providing, among other things, for wide-ranging and practical approaches to protection, training, screening, treatment, confidentiality, prevention, the minimizing of occupational risk and the care and support of health-care workers. The Committee trusts that the Government will give due consideration to these guidelines with a view to improving existing laws and regulations on occupational health and safety for nursing personnel.

Part V of the report form. The Committee notes the statistical information provided by the Government according to which, in 2003, there were 838 nurses employed in the public and private sectors. The Committee also notes that several measures such as job promotion, remunerated internships and scholarships have been taken to facilitate the filling of vacant nursing posts. The Committee would be grateful to the Government for continuing to supply up-to-date information on the organization of health-care services (e.g. number of hospitals, clinics and health centres, geographical distribution of medical facilities, nurse-to-population ratio, evolution of the number of nursing staff in recent years), as well as on any broader issues having an impact on the quality of nursing services (e.g. financial situation of health establishments, human resources management, health research and new technologies, etc.)