Health Legislation

This document provides highlights of the national budget for health for the years 2023-2025.

These Regulations regulate the surveillance and the control of notifiable medical conditions in South Africa.

The Namibia Essential Medicines List acts as a guide for the level of availability and use of essential medicines based on the skills levels of health workers as well as the availability of diagnostic facilities at the various levels of the Namibian public sector healthcare system.

This Act provides a framework for a structured uniform health system within Namibia; consolidates the laws relating to state hospitals and state health services, and regulates the conduct of state hospitals and state health services; provides for financial assistance for special medical treatment of State patients; and provides for incidental matters.

The Act promotes the protection of personal information processed by public and private bodies; introduces certain conditions so as to establish minimum requirements for the processing of personal information; provides for the establishment of an Information Regulator to exercise certain powers and to perform certain duties and functions in terms of this Act and the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000; provides for the issuing of codes of conduct; provides for the rights of persons regarding unsolicited electronic communications and automated decision making; etc.

This Act amends the Medicines and Related Substances Control Act, 2003, so as to amend and delete certain definitions; provides for a period within which the Council must be appointed; provides for the appointment of chairpersons of committees established by the Council; amends provisions relating to the classification of medicines and other substances as scheduled substances; amends provisions relating to the manufacturing, packing and selling of specified Schedule 3 and specified Schedule 4 substances; deletes references to generic substitutions; substitutes references to Schedule 1, Schedule 2, Schedule 3 or Schedule 4 medicines by references to Schedule 1, Schedule 2, Schedule 3 or Schedule 4 substances; inserts provisions relating to the registration of premises engaged in the manufacturing of medicines; amends provisions relating to offences and penalties; amends provisions relating to the destruction of forfeited medicines, scheduled substances or other things; provides for the making of regulations in relation to medicines; amends provisions relating to the exclusion of medicines from the operation of the Act; amends the transitional provisions; amends provisions relating to the repeal and amendment of certain laws; and provides for matters incidental thereto.

This Act provides for the establishment and constitution of a professional Council for the medical and dental professions; determines the powers, duties and functions of such Council; regulates the registration of medical practitioners and of dentists, and of persons practising certain professions allied to the medical profession or to the dental profession; specifies the education, training and qualifications of persons practising such professions; prohibits the practising of any such profession without being registered; and provides for matters incidental thereto.

This Act provides for the establishment and constitution of a professional Council for the nursing and midwifery or accoucheury professions; determines the powers, duties and functions of such Council; regulates the registration and enrolment of the members of such professions; specifies the education, training and qualifications of persons practising such professions; prohibits the practising of any such profession without being registered; and provides for matters incidental thereto.

This Act provides for the establishment and constitution of a professional Council for the pharmacy profession; determines the powers, duties and functions of such Council; regulates the registration of pharmacists and persons practising professions allied to the pharmacy profession; specifies the education and training and qualifications of persons practising such professions; prohibits the practising of any such profession without being registered; and provides for matters incidental thereto.

This Act provides for the establishment of a Namibia Medicines Regulatory Council; for the registration of medicines intended for human and for animal use; for the control of medicines and scheduled substances and provides for incidental matters.

This Act provides a framework for a structured uniform health system within the Republic, taking into account the obligations imposed by the Constitution and other laws on the national, provincial and local governments with regard to health services; and provides for matters connected therewith.

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 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.

This Act provides for the compilation and maintenance of a population register in respect of the population of Namibia, for the issue of identity documents to persons whose names are included in the population register; and for the matters connected therewith.

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.

This Act extends membership of the medical aid scheme established for the public service under the Public Service Act, 1980, to members and former members of the National Assembly, judges and former judges of the Supreme Court and High Court, certain other office-bearers and other persons and to their surviving spouses; repeals section 1 of the Medical Aid Scheme for the Government Service Extension Act, 1982; and provides for matters connected therewith.

The Namibian Constitution was adopted in 1990 and amended in 1998, 2010 and 2014. The Constitution of Namibia is the supreme law of the country, it establishes state principles, defines the separation of powers in the state, defines rights and freedoms, etc. It consists of 148 articles that are grouped into 21 Chapters that are supplemented by 8 schedules.

This Act applies the International Health Regulations, adopted by the World Health Assembly, in the Republic, and provides for incidental matters.