Health Legislation

The Decree sets out the statutes of the social public establishment called the “Caisse nationale de sécurité sociale” (National Social Security Fund).

This Decree-Law approves the Statute of Medical Careers in Sao Tome and Principe.

The law creates a social public establishment called the “Caisse nationale de sécurité sociale” (National Social Security Fund). The purpose of the Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale is to manage the various branches of social security set up for workers, such as family benefits; prevention and compensation for occupational accidents and diseases; and old-age, invalidity and survivors' pensions. It is also responsible for managing the health and social action fund. It may also be entrusted with the management of other social security branches.

The Constitution of Sao Tome and Principe was promulgated by a Law No 1/2003. The Constitution of Sao Tome and Principe is the supreme law of the state that sets out the key values and principles of organization of the state, establishes rights, freedoms and obligations of the people, sets up the key bodies and institutes of the state, provides for the division of the powers within the country, etc. The Constitution of Sao Tome and Principe consists of 160 articles that are grouped into 5 parts.

This decree establishes an autonomous fund to receive revenues from the recovery of primary health care costs in each Integrated Health Center. This fund will primarily support the purchase of essential generic drugs and consumables, the purchase of management tools for cost recovery and the payment of managers' salaries.

The Ordinance provides legislation governing pharmacy. The ordinance regulates the classification of medicines, the registration of medicines, the dispensing of medicines, dietary products, cosmetics, the rules for practicing the profession of pharmacist, the dispensing of medicines by doctors and other aspects.

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.

The law determines which individuals have Nigerien nationality at birth as their nationality of origin. Nigerien nationality is acquired or lost, after birth, by the effect of the present legislation or by decision of the public authority taken under the conditions laid down in this law.

This law establishes an organization for the general litigation of social security matters, to settle disputes arising from the application of social security legislation and regulations, which by their nature do not fall within the scope of any other litigation.