Health Legislation

The purpose of this Law is to establish mechanisms for the protection and promotion of health, the prevention and control of diseases, as well as threats and risks to public health.

This law, taken in application of the provisions of article 47 of the Constitution, establishes the modalities of medical care for the mentally ill and protection of their rights in the Gabonese Republic.

The Mental Health Act of 2012 provides for mental health care and for related matters. Among other things, it establishes a Mental Health Authority (sections 1 to 23), enshrines a set of rights for persons with mental disorder (sections 54 to 63), and establishes a mental health fund (sections 80 to 87).

This Act provides for integrated and coordinated disaster management that focuses on prevention, preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery from, disasters or emergency situations, and the management of their effects, establishes a National Disaster Management Agency and Regional, District and Village Disaster Management Committees.

The Act provides for the care, protection and management of persons with mental disorders and provides for their voluntary or involuntary admission in mental health care facility and other related matters.

This Act provides for an integrated and co-ordinated disaster management policy that focuses on preventing or reducing the risk of disasters, mitigating the severity of disasters, emergency preparedness, rapid and effective response to disasters and post-disaster recovery and rehabilitation; regulates the establishment and functioning of national, provincial and municipal disaster management centres; regulates disaster management volunteers and matters incidental thereto.

This Ministerial Order establishes a national mental health program. The mission of the national mental health program is to promote mental health at all levels of the national health system.

This Act provides a legal framework for the care, treatment, and protection of individuals with mental health disorders, establishes guidelines for the admission, detention, and rights of patients in mental health facilities, etc.

The Act is to establish the Disaster Management Authority; to regulate its powers and functions and to make provision with respect to emergencies arising out of disasters including prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery measures for the protection of life and property from the effects of disasters.

This Act makes provision for the co-ordination and implementation of measures to alleviate effects to disasters, the establishment of the office of Commissioner for Disaster Preparedness and Relief the establishment of a National Disaster Preparedness and Relief Committee of Malawi, and for matters incidental thereto or connected therewith.