Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2001, published 90th ILC session (2002)

Nursing Personnel Convention, 1977 (No. 149) - Kenya (Ratification: 1990)

Further to its previous comments, the Committee notes with interest the information supplied by the Government concerning Articles 2, paragraph 2(b), 5, paragraphs 2 and 3, and 6 and would be grateful if it would provide further information on the following points.

Article 7. The Committee notes the Government’s statement in its report that no law has as yet been enacted to protect nurses against accidental exposure to HIV/AIDS infection. It also notes that the Ministry of Health, in conjunction with the Nursing Council of Kenya, has issued guidelines on infection prevention and control for use by nurses in all health facilities. While noting the indication that no cases of nurses infected in the course of duty have been recorded, the Committee reminds the Government of the need to take steps to improve occupational safety and health legislation in order to protect nursing personnel against accidental exposure to HIV. In this connection, it draws the Government’s attention to the ILO code of practice on HIV/AIDS in the world of work, published in June 2001. It hopes that in its next report the Government will be able to indicate that, besides publications to ensure that the personnel concerned are better informed, other practical measures have been taken in consultation with the employers’ and workers’ organizations concerned in respect of the accidental exposure of nursing personnel to HIV, as well as measures envisaged for nursing personnel infected or deemed to be infected by HIV (for example, adjustment of working conditions, confidentiality of test results, recognition of the disease as service-incurred, etc.).

Part V of the report form. The Committee notes the information supplied by the Government in its report that about 30,000 nurses are working in Kenya, of whom 17,000 are in government services. Furthermore, every year about 400 nurses leave the profession whereas 2,000 others are trained. It asks the Government to continue to provide statistics on nursing personnel, together with general information on how the Convention is applied in practice.