Health Legislation

The Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania was adopted in 1977 and amended in 2005. The Constitution is the supreme law of the country and establishes the state principles, regulates the separation of powers, establishes key government structures and their mandates, establishes rights, etc. The Constitution consists of 152 articles that are organized into ten chapters that are supplemented by two schedules.

The Decree establishes the Code of Medical Ethics. The Code is applicable to any Doctors registered with the Medical Register, any performing a professional act, as well as to students performing a replacement or assisting a physician in the case provided for in article 84 of Code.

This Act consolidates the law relating to narcotic drugs, makes provision for the control and regulation of operations relating to narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances; provides for the forfeiture of property derived from or used in illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances; provides for the prevention of illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and implements the provisions of the International Convention on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.

This Decree implements the Social Security Code.

The law establishes the general conditions for implementing the principles governing Social Security, with the aim of providing salaried workers and their families with protection against the economic and social distress.

This Act establishes the Medical Stores Department for the procurement, storage and distribution of medical supplies and provides for other matters connected or incidental to the establishment and management of the department.

This Act repeals the provisions of the Food and Drugs Ordinance which relates to food; repeals the Meat Hygiene Ordinance, and provides for the more efficient control of the food industry.

This Act makes provision to restrict the management of private hospitals to approved organizations, to control fees and other charges payable in respect of medical treatment and other services rendered by private hospitals, to regulate scales of emoluments payable to medical practitioners employed at private hospitals, and to make provisions connected with those matters.

This Act consolidates and amends the Law relating to Prisons, and provides for the Organization, Discipline, Powers and Duties pf Prison Officers, and for matters incidental thereto and connected therewith.

This Act makes better provision for the control and prevention of the spread of the tsetse flies; and provides for matters incidental thereto.

This Act makes provisions for the registration of births and deaths and for the issue by medical practitioners of certificates of the cause of death.