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

Nursing Personnel Convention, 1977 (No. 149) - Egypt (Ratification: 1982)

Article 2(2) of the Convention. National policy concerning nursing services and nursing personnel. The Government refers in its report to several orders issued by the Ministry of Health: Ministerial Order No. 576 of 2014, which grants a bonus to nursing personnel, and Ministerial Orders Nos 28 and 37 of 2015, which grant a monthly incentive allowance to nursing personnel who work night shifts at emergency units, mental health hospitals, and in intensive care. The allowance is equivalent to 100 per cent of the basic monthly salary and is granted to nursing personnel who have undertaken training in their speciality, whereas those who have not undertaken such training receive an allowance equivalent to 50 per cent of their monthly salary. The Committee recalls that Egypt is currently experiencing a shortage of qualified nursing personnel, as shown in the data of the World Health Organization (WHO) (an average of 13.9 nurses for every 10,000 persons in 2017). With respect to the re-evaluation and classification of the nursing profession, the Committee notes that the Central Department for Nursing at the Ministry of Health updated the job classification of all nursing jobs, and undertook the job classification of the position of general technical practitioner, as well as of supervisory positions, with a view to developing work in nursing. The Committee further notes the Government’s indication that the draft law for the exercise of the nursing profession will be submitted to the Council of Ministers for its review in preparation for finalization of the procedures for its promulgation. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on measures or initiatives aimed at improving the employment and working conditions of nursing personnel, including their conditions of pay, in order to attract more workers to the profession and retain them. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on any progress made in the development of the classification system for nursing jobs. It also requests the Government to continue to provide information on progress regarding the adoption of the draft law for the exercise of the nursing profession and to provide a copy once it has been adopted.

Articles 2(3) and 5(2). Consultation and negotiation with the social partners. The Government indicates that it pays special attention to undertaking tripartite consultations on the conditions of employment for nursing personnel. In this context, the Committee notes that the Public Union of Nursing organizes specialized training courses and sets in place the appropriate mechanisms in order to upgrade the nursing profession in Egypt, and to raise the competence of nursing personnel in accordance with the most modern techniques available in the nursing profession. The Committee requests the Government to specify the manner in which the relevant hospital organizations, organizations of nurses, or general employers’ and workers’ organizations are consulted in the process of adoption or revision of the national legislation and regulations concerning the employment and working conditions of nursing personnel.

Article 3. Nursing education and training. The Government reports that, with the objective of improving nursing education, 93 classes were inaugurated for 2,961 male and female nursing students, the inauguration of 28 nursing schools was approved, and the Technical Institute for Nursing accepted 322 male and female students over the course of 2016 and 2017. According to the information available on the website of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ministry of Health and Population and the Supreme Council of Universities in Egypt are collaborating with the WHO to develop national reference standards for higher education in the nursing curriculum, as part of an effort to better match nursing education and the demands of patients. In this context, the Government indicates that a database (observatory) on human resources and employees in the health sector was set up in collaboration with the WHO. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on progress made in the reorganization of the nursing education system, as well as in the development and adoption of relevant standards.

Article 7. Occupational health and safety for nursing personnel. The Government indicates that the draft Labour Code, prepared in consultation with the social partners and submitted to the House of Representatives for adoption, seeks to develop the area of occupational safety and health. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the measures taken or envisaged to ensure the health and safety of nursing personnel, and to provide a copy of the new Labour Code once it has been adopted.

Part V of the Report Form. Application in practice. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed updated information, disaggregated by age, sex and region, concerning the situation of nursing personnel in the country, the nurse–population ratio, the number of nursing personnel broken down by those working at public and private health-care establishments, and the number of those who leave the profession each year and to provide copies of any recent reports or studies addressing nursing-related issues.