Health Legislation

This Law provides provisions on the definition, principles and rights in reproductive health, defines reproductive health service entities and workforce, and regulates contraception, voluntary termination of pregnancy, rights of people suffering from STDs/AIDS and penal provisions.

The objective of this law is to define reproductive health and related entitlements.

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.

This Act amends and consolidates the law relating to local government and provides for the matters connected therewith and incidental thereto.

The decree creates a technical-administrative division known as a health district for towns, departments, arrondissements and communes. The Health District is the local level for the design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of health policy.

The order M°154/MSP/CAB of 29 December 1994 provides the structure and mandate for the Departmental Directorate for Health ("Direction Departementale de la Santé"); this directorate represents the Ministry of Public Health at the level of the department or the urban community and participates in the elaboration, implementation and evaluation of the National Health policy ( providing the competence of the Department Direction for Health). The subdivisions of this directorate include an Executive Secretariat; an Administrative, Financial and Personnel Management Department; a Family Health Service; a Programming and Health Information Department; a Health Education, Hygiene and Sanitation Department; a Health Education, Hygiene and Sanitation Department; a Pharmacy and Laboratory Department.

This Act establishes the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council and provides for its structure, functions and powers. It further provides for reproductive health and family planning services in Zimbabwe and the promotion and implementation of population and development primary health care and other community-based development programmes relating to family health and for the integration and co-ordination of other relevant activities in Government departments, Nongovernmental organizations and the Private sector.