Health Legislation

This document provides the benefits package of the National Health Insurance Scheme as offered to its beneficiaries through private health providers.

This Act establishes a National Health Insurance Authority to implement a national health insurance scheme, establishes a national health insurance Fund to pay for the cost of health care services to members of the Scheme, and provides for the establishment of private health insurance schemes.

This Act provides for sound financing for the national health system; provides for universal access to quality insured health care services; establishes the National Health Insurance Management Authority and provides for its functions and powers; establishes the National Health Insurance Scheme and provides for its systems, procedures and operation; establishes the National Health Insurance Fund and provides for contributions to and payments from the Fund; provides for accreditation criteria and conditions in respect of insured health care services; provides for complaints and appeals processes; provides for the progressive establishment of provincial and district health offices of the Authority; and provides for matters connected with, or incidental to the foregoing.

The Act regulates the quality and safety of medicines and related products and connected matters.

This Act promotes and protects the health and safety of the general public through safeguarding, maintaining and enforcing the highest standards in the practice of pharmacy.

The Act implement the legal provisions of the National Policy for the advancement of Gambian Women and Girls, and incorporates and enforces the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa.

The Act provides for the re-structuring, development, and regulation of the information and communication sectors in The Gambia and for matters connected therewith.

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 establishment of the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital and its Management Board, and for connected matters.

This Act sets out the rights and responsibilities of children, consolidates the laws relating to children, provides for the care, protection and maintenance of children, establishes a Children’s Court, provides for a criminal justice system for children and other connected purposes.

This Act provides for a sustainable, effective and efficient national statistical system for The Gambia for the collection, production and dissemination of integrated, relevant, reliable, timely statistical information, establishes The Gambia Bureau of Statistics as a supervisory authority for the national statistical system.

The Act establishes and regulates a decentralised local government system for the Gambia; it makes provision for the functions, powers and duties of local authorities and for matters connected therewith.

The Constitution of the Gambia was adopted in 1997. It is the supreme law of the country and consists of 232 articles that are grouped into 23 chapters. The Constitution sets out the values and principles of the state, defines supremacy rules for the law, proclaims fundamental rights and freedoms, establishes key bodies of the state, etc.

The Constitution of Zambia was adopted in 1991 and was amended in 2016 by Act No 2 titled "An Act to Amend the Constitution of Zambia". The Constitution of Zambia is the supreme law of the country that establishes the core values and principles of the state, provides for the core rights, freedoms and duties, separates the powers within the state and establishes the key state institutes.

The Act regulates the profession of nurse and midwife in The Gambia.

The Public Health Act makes provisions for public and environmental health and other matters connected therewith.

This Act makes provision for the establishment of a Medical and Dental Council; for the Registration of Medical and Dental Practitioners; for the discipline of persons registered under the Act and other matters connected therewith.

The Act provides for the establishment of Hospital Management Boards, the charging fees for medical and health services and the regulation of such fees, the regulation of conditions under which private hospitals or other health facilities may be established, and for connected matters.

This Act makes provision requiring public corporations, companies, persons and other business enterprises to make financial contributions towards the operation and maintenance of the medical services, and connected matters.

This Act provides for a uniform law for the registration of all births and deaths in Zambia, without distinction of origin or descent; and provides for matters incidental thereto.