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The Committee notes the information supplied by the Government in reply to its previous comments.

Article 1, paragraph 2, of the Convention. The Committee notes the Government's statement that the conditions of work of nursing personnel in private hospitals are regulated by collective labour agreements entered into between individual hospitals and the recognized unions. The Government also states that a committee has recently been set up to monitor all private hospitals.

The Committee would be grateful if the Government would supply samples of collective agreements regulating nursing staff in private hospitals. It asks the Government to provide information on the results of the work of the committee set up to monitor private hospitals.

Article 1, paragraph 3. The Committee notes with regret that the Government does not indicate which provisions apply to voluntary nursing personnel, nor does it state whether any such provisions exist. The Committee again recalls that, according to a previous report of the Government, such staff were not covered by the Nursing Code of Conduct. The Committee hopes that the Government will not fail to provide information in the near future on the provisions applying to voluntary nursing personnel.

Article 2, paragraph 2(b) (in conjunction with Article 5, paragraphs 2 and 3, and Article 6(a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f) and (g)). The Committee notes with regret that the copies of the collective agreements applying to nursing personnel in the public and the private sectors, as regards conditions of employment and work and the settlement of collective disputes, have not been received by the Office. It hopes that the Government will shortly supply the relevant documents and that it will indicate at the same time whether there are any other measures to attract and retain nursing staff in the profession.

Article 7. The Committee notes the Government's statement that no specific law has been enacted to protect nursing personnel against exposure to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) virus. The Committee recalls that the indication in its general observation of 1990 on the application of this instrument that nursing personnel work in an environment in which, by reason of the work, there is a high risk of accidental infection with HIV and that, consequently, particular attention should be paid to the working conditions and health protection of such personnel.

It asks the Government to indicate the measures taken or contemplated to improve existing legislative provisions on occupational health and safety, so as to take account of the particular risk of accidental exposure to HIV among nursing personnel, and to adapt these provisions to the particular characteristics of the work and environment of nursing personnel.