Health Legislation

This Act provides for an integrated and co-ordinated disaster management policy that focuses on preventing or reducing the risk of disasters, mitigating the severity of disasters, emergency preparedness, rapid and effective response to disasters and post-disaster recovery and rehabilitation; regulates the establishment and functioning of national, provincial and municipal disaster management centres; regulates disaster management volunteers and matters incidental thereto.

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.

This Act gives effect within the Republic of South Africa to the relevant international legal instruments, principles and standards relating to refugees; provides for the reception into South Africa of asylum seekers; regulates applications for and recognition of refugee status; provides for the rights and obligations flowing from such status; and provides for matters connected therewith.

The Act consolidates the laws relating to registered medical schemes; provides for the establishment of the Council for Medical Schemes as a juridical entity; provides for the appointment of the Registrar of Medical Schemes; makes provision for the registration and control of certain activities of medical schemes; protects the interests of members of medical schemes; provides for measures for the co-ordination of medical schemes; and provides for incidental matters.

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 Constitution of South Africa was adopted in 1996 and approved by the Constitutional Court. It consists of 241 articles grouped into 14 chapters that are supplemented by 7 schedules. The Constitution is the prime law of the country and sets out the founding provisions of the organization of the state, regulates the civil, political, cultural and economic rights of the people, divides the powers within the state and establishes the key state institutions and organs, etc.

This Act determines the circumstances in which and conditions under which the pregnancy of a woman may be terminated; and provides for matters connected therewith.

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 Act consolidates and amends the laws providing for the establishment of the South African Pharmacy Board and for the training and registration of pharmacists, trainee pharmacists, pharmacy students, unqualified assistants and pharmaceutical technicians; provides for the control of the practice of the pharmaceutical profession; and provides for matters incidental thereto.

This Act establishes the Health Professions Council of South Africa and professional boards; provides for control over the education, training and registration for and practising of health professions registered under this Act; and provides for matters incidental thereto.

The General Health Regulations set out comprehensive guidelines and standards for public health and hygiene, including the control of communicable diseases, sanitation, food safety, and environmental health.

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.

The Act provides for the registration and control of medicines and related substances for human and animal use, establishes the Medicines Control Council, and outlines its powers and responsibilities. It includes provisions for the licensing of manufacturers, distributors, and dispensers, as well as measures to ensure the availability of affordable medicines. The Act also addresses the regulation of medicine pricing, generic substitution, labeling, and procedures for appeals and re-evaluation of registered medicines.