Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2019, published 109th ILC session (2021)

Nursing Personnel Convention, 1977 (No. 149) - Seychelles (Ratification: 1993)

Articles 2 and 5 of the Convention. National policy concerning nursing services and nursing personnel. Consultations. The Committee notes with interest the detailed information supplied in the Government’s report and annexes. The Government indicates that the National Health Policy 2016-2020 adopted in 2015, positions health at the centre of national development. The National Health Strategic Plan 2016–20 establishes milestones and sets appropriate goals to guide and optimize investment in health. The Committee notes the new Policy on Employment of Part-Time for Nursing and Midwifery Staff launched in August 2017 which, according to the Government, is guided by the Nursing Personnel Convention, 1977 (No. 149), and its Recommendation. In response to the Committee’s previous comments, the Government refers to a series of measures taken to improve the quality of nursing care. It indicates that the Consultative Forum of the Nurses Association of the Republic of Seychelles (NARS), held in February 2017, focused on the quality of nursing care, opportunities for nurses in the twenty-first century, the image of nursing and the socio-economic welfare of nurses and midwives. The Government adds that the Nursing and Midwifery Practise Committee was established in 2017 to develop and review standard operating procedures and guidelines for nursing practises. The nursing administration has established nursing and program performance indicators to assist in assessing the quality of nursing practices. The Committee notes that exit interviews on patient satisfaction with nursing care in hospitals were undertaken in June 2018 and that the surveys will be conducted every two years to assess progress made and identify gaps. The Government also reports on a wide range of measures taken to address human resource shortages in healthcare. In this respect, the Committee notes that the revised Scheme of Service for Nurses delivered in May 2017 after consultation with the relevant stakeholders including the NARS, has not yet been validated by the Ministry of Health. In 2017, intensive discussions were also held regarding the basic salary and related allowances and a series of regulations on Nurses Gratuity was approved by the Department of Public Administration for the nurses. The Committee takes note of the ongoing review of the Nurses and Midwives Act, 1985, which aims, inter alia, to reflect changes in the nursing and midwifery professions in the Seychelles. It also notes that, although the Employment Act does not set out specific provisions concerning the employment of nurses, the Nurses and Midwives Act, 1985, refers to the Code of Practice for general nurses which specifies the requirements for practicing nursing. Despite the fact that the number of health workers in relation to the population is high, more specialization and research is needed to achieve better health outcomes with the human resources already available. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the nursing education and training has improved following training and professional development initiatives. In this context, it notes the Nursing Programme of the nursing faculty, as well as the National Institute of Health and Social Studies’ (NIHSS) Quality Assurance Policy and the Access Programme for Health Care, implemented in 2017 by the NIHSS to address issues such as the preparedness of learners applying for admission and the demand for health professionals. The Government refers to the main challenges, which include task shifting at all levels of the health system, the brunt of which was borne by the nurses, the lack of a database collection system and a national workforce database which makes planning for nurses and midwives more difficult, and the absence of an overall health research agenda on national health needs. The Committee also notes the lack of financial and human resources of the Nurses and Midwives Council which has consequences for its management, as well as the Government’s request for the ILO’s legal assistance in implementing the Council’s mandate. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on measures taken or envisaged to improve the quality of nursing care and to address human resource shortages in healthcare indicating the measures taken in relation to education and training, as well as in relation to employment and working conditions, with the aim of attracting men and women to the profession and retaining them in it. It also requests the Government to provide up-to date information on the validation and implementation of the revised Scheme of Service and the outcome of the review of the Nurses and Midwives Act, 1985. It also requests the Government to submit up-to-date information concerning the current situation regarding overseas migration of nurses and any measures undertaken to address this issue. In addition, the Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on nursing personnel in the planning of nursing services and decisions concerning them.

Part V of the report form. Application in practice. The Committee takes note of the statistics regarding the nursing personnel provided by the Government. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed information, disaggregated by age, sex and region, concerning the situation of nursing personnel in the country, including the number of students graduating nursing colleges every year and the number of institutions offering nursing education and training, the number of nursing personnel by sectors of activity, levels of training and functions and their ratio to the population, as well as the number of those who leave the profession each year.