Sao Tome and Principe

Under article 50 of the Constitution, everyone has the right to health protection; the State is responsible for promoting public health.

There are no provisions in the Constitution on entities responsible for health specifically. However the Constitution specifies the roles and responsibilities assumed by the National Assembly a number of which influence the operation of health systems including approval of the state budget, approval of development plans and respective laws, approval and monitoring of government program, monitoring the compliance with the constitution etc. (art. 97). Similarly, the National Assembly is exclusively responsible for making laws for listed matters that impact health and health systems' performance such as citizens' rights, taxes and tax systems, general organization of the State administration, status of civil servants and civil liability of the Administration, organisation of local authorities and, status and capacity of persons.

The analysis of the National Health Policy for the period 2022-2032 ("Politica Nacional da Saude 2022-2032") is under development.

The goal of the National Health Development Plan 2023-2032 of São Tomé and Príncipe is to improve the health status of the São Toméan population by guiding and coordinating the efforts of all stakeholders involved in promoting and protecting health. The plan also focuses on strategies to develop human resources, foster innovation and research in health, and ensure sustainable financing for the health system (page 14).

The general objective of São Tomé and Príncipe's health policy is to improve the population's health by 2030, focusing on quality of life and reducing health risks related to living conditions, environment, and access to essential services. Key objectives include reducing neonatal, infant, and maternal mortality, decreasing premature deaths from non-communicable diseases, eliminating epidemics like AIDS and malaria, and achieving universal health coverage for 50% of the population with access to quality health services and medicines (page 71).

The document references several legislative and regulatory documents such as the Constitution and its Article 50 (page 2),
Basic Health Law (Law no. 9/2018) (page 4).

The plan defines specific actions relating to the enactment or revision of health laws and regulations. For example, under the Pillar on Leadership, Governance and Partnership, it is proposed to review, restructure and implement the Organic Law of the Ministry of Health and the Basic Law on Health (law No. 9/2018); as well as to create the Health Regulatory Entity which will be tasked with the regulation of activity of public hand private health providers (page 83). Furthermore, under the Pillar on Medicines and Other Health Technologies, the plan outlines the revision of the decree-law of the National Medicines Fund (FNM) (page 108). Under the same pillar, it also specifies several other interventions such as the approval of the draft law creating the Regulatory Authority for Pharmacy, Medicines, Technologies and Other Health Products (AFRAMED), creation and adoption of new proposals for priority laws and regulations for the pharmaceutical sector (legal regime for drug prices, law and regulation on clinical trials), approving draft laws on marketing authorisation, and the legal regime for pharmacies and points of sale (page 109). These interventions are included in the monitoring framework of the plan.