Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2012, published 102nd ILC session (2013)

Nursing Personnel Convention, 1977 (No. 149) - Iraq (Ratification: 1980)

Article 2(2) of the Convention. National policy concerning nursing services and nursing personnel. The Committee refers to its previous comment and notes the information supplied by the Government, according to which there are specialist institutes which award diplomas for specialists in the area of nursing care and other health professions. The Government also indicates that the competent authority has taken steps to support staff in the health professions, including nursing personnel, for example by paying them additional allowances equivalent to 50 per cent of their salaries to encourage them to work in this field. While bearing in mind the difficult situation which the country still faces, especially the problems resulting from the mass exodus of doctors and nurses and the weakened infrastructure of the health system due to 20 years of violence and insecurity, the Committee again requests the Government to provide detailed information on the current system for the remuneration of nursing personnel, taking account of the specific features of the profession, and to indicate whether conditions of employment are likely to attract persons to the profession and retain them in it.

Article 3. Nursing education and training. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that a faculty for nursing care has been established at university level in order to provide senior managerial staff with training in nursing care. The Committee understands that in various regions of the country, particularly rural regions and the areas worst affected by conflict and violence, the health services are not always in a position to meet the needs of the civilian population. Accordingly, specialist organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) organize training courses for doctors and nursing personnel, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and regional governments. While noting the Government’s efforts to reconstruct the health system and improve nursing care in a post-conflict environment, the Committee requests the Government to supply further information on the basic requirements regarding nursing education (duration, levels of education, study programmes, in-service education and training, etc.).

Article 4. Practice of the nursing profession. The Committee again requests the Government to send copies of any relevant legislative or administrative texts relating to the conditions under which persons may be authorized – through a system of certification or licensing – to practise the nursing profession. It also requests the Government to send a copy of Act No. 6 of 2000 on health professionals, which is referred to in the Government’s report but which is unavailable to the Office.

Part V of the report form. Application in practice. The Committee requests the Government to supply up-to-date information in its next report on the application of the Convention in practice, especially statistics on the nurse-to-population ratio, the number of persons enrolled in nursing schools, the number of nurses entering or leaving the profession each year, the difficulties encountered because of the lack of qualified medical personnel and the worsening of the health situation during the last 20 years, and also copies of official reports or studies addressing the human resources problems in the health sector.