Health Legislation

These guidelines establish an Essential Drug List of Botswana of 2012 and provide the requirements regarding the levels of availability across health care providers.

The National Health Insurance Act was adopted to establish a National Health Insurance Authority to implement a National Health Insurance Scheme, establish a National Health Insurance Fund to pay for the cost of health care services to members of the Scheme, establish private health insurance schemes, and to provide for related matters.

The National Public Health Act revises and consolidates the law relating to public health to prevent disease, promote, safeguard, maintain and protect the health of humans and animals and to provide for related matters.

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).

The Data Protection Act of 2012 establishes a Data Protection Commission, to protect the privacy of the individual and personal data by regulating the processing of personal information, to provide the process to obtain, hold, use or disclose personal information and for related matters.

The Health Institutions and Facilities Act of 2011 provides for a Health Facilities Regulatory Agency to license facilities for the provision of public and private health care services, establishes the Mortuaries and Funeral Facilities Agency to control and regulate facilities connected with the storage and disposal of human remains, establishes an Ambulance Council to regulate the operation of ambulance services in the country in accordance with policy standards and to provide for related matters.

The National Identity Register Act of 2008 provides for the capture of personal information by individuals by the National Identity Authority for the issue of national identity cards; for the protection of the personal information; for conditions of access, use, retention and disclosure of information and for related matters.

The National Accreditation Board Act of 2007 establishes the National Accreditation Board and provides for related purposes.

The Persons with Disability Act, 2006 is an act to provide for persons with disability, to establish a National Council on Persons with Disability and to provide for related matters.

The National Health Insurance Regulations of 2004 govern the registration, management, and oversight of health insurance schemes licensed under the Health Insurance Act of 2003, detailing requirements for licensing conditions, and fees. They mandate non-discrimination, set minimum benefit standards, and outline procedures for interim management and the accreditation of healthcare facilities.

This Act regulates and controls the practice of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and allied health professions, and provides for matters connected and associated therewith.

The Children's Act of 1998 reforms and consolidates the law relating to children, provides for the rights of the child, maintenance and adoption, regulates child labour and apprenticeship, for ancillary matters concerning children generally and provides for related matters.

The Ghana Health Service and Teaching Hospitals Act of 1996 establishes the Ghana Health Service, provides for related matters including its functions and membership; provides for the administration and management of institutions in the Health Service including state-owned hospitals and health stations; continues the existence and operation of Teaching Hospitals and provides for matters related to the foregoing.

The Pharmacy Act, 1994 is to revise the laws relating to pharmacy, to establish a Pharmacy Council, for the registration of pharmacies, the regulation and control of the practice of pharmacy, the distribution of pharmacies, the licensing of premises for pharmacies and to provide for related matters. This Act was repealed by the Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act, 2013 (Act 857), section 114.

The Civil Service Act establishes the continued existence of the Civil Service in Ghana as part of the Public Services of Ghana, as outlined in Article 190 of the Constitution. Its primary objective is to assist the Government in the formulation and implementation of policies for national development. The Act defines the functions of the Civil Service, including policy initiation, research, implementation, and evaluation, and establishes the Office of the Head of the Civil Service along with its various directorates and units to support its operations.

The Constitution of Ghana is the supreme law of the country (article 1.2). It was adopted in 1992 and revised in 1996. It provides for the sharing of powers among a president, a parliament, a cabinet, a Council of State, and an independent judiciary. It contains 299 articles.

This Act provides provisions on the registration of persons resident in Botswana and provides for matters incidental thereto.

This Act consolidates and amends the law relating to the registration of births and deaths in Botswana.

The Statistics Act establishes a body corporate to be known as Statistics Botswana; requires that official statistics be produced by means of a process that is guided by the National Statistical System; and provides principles for the production and dissemination of official statistics and for matters incidental thereto.

This Act empowers the President of Botswana to make emergency regulations whenever an emergency proclamation is in force. It also specifies the matters which may be provided for in emergency regulations; provides the duration of emergency regulations, and provides for the matters incidental thereto or connected therewith.