Looking at legislation for health gives critical insights about the choices formalized by countries for health including how responsibilities and means are distributed, which rights are protected, what the minimum standards and accountability structures are. Legislation provides the binding rules governing health.
The health legislation database offers access to a wide array of legislative instruments for health. Sources as diverse as constitutions, codes, laws, decrees, ordinances, guidelines (and many more) can be found here.
Legislation for health is often scattered and analyzed in vertical ways (by program, by disease, by health system area). This database intends to reinforce the need to approach legislation’s strengthening for health in a holistic manner and to ensure that all efforts by national and international partners are grounded in a good understanding of legal and institutional arrangements in place across the board.
If you would like to learn more about how legislation influences health and supports countries in achieving health goals, you can access here some key resources, tools, and databases.