Health Legislation

This Act protects the rights of consumers, addresses the interests and needs of consumers, establishes a Consumer Protection Council, provides an effective redress mechanism for consumer claims and provides for other matters incidental thereto or connected therewith.

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.

This Act amends and consolidates the law relating to local government and provides for the matters connected therewith and 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 makes provision for the regulation of the conditions of employment in workplaces as regards the safety, health and welfare of persons employed therein; for the inspection of certain plant and machinery, and the prevention and regulation of accidents occurring to persons employed or authorized to go into the workplaces; and provides for matters connected with or incidental to the foregoing.

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.

This Act makes provision for the protection and management of the environment and the conservation and sustainable utilization of natural resources and for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto.

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 the Republic of Malawi was adopted in 1994 and revised in 2017. The Constitution is the supreme law of the Republic that sets out the core values and principles of the organization of the state, separates the powers, defines the rights and obligations of the people, etc. The Constitution of Malawi consists of 215 articles that are organized into 22 Chapters supplemented by a Schedule.

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.

This Act makes provision for the co-ordination and implementation of measures to alleviate effects to disasters, the establishment of the office of Commissioner for Disaster Preparedness and Relief the establishment of a National Disaster Preparedness and Relief Committee of Malawi, and for matters incidental thereto or connected therewith.

This Act provides for the establishment of the Medical Council of Malawi, the registration and disciplining of medical practitioners and dentists, the regulation of training within Malawi of medical personnel and generally for the control and regulation of the medical profession and practice in Malawi and for matters incidental to or connected therewith.

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 makes provision for the improvement of the care, assistance and education of handicapped persons in Malawi; establishes a Council for the handicapped; provides for the voluntary registration of handicapped persons; provides for the registration, direction, control and regulation of associations whose objects include the welfare of the handicapped; and further provides for matters incidental thereto and connected therewith.

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.

This Act amends and consolidates the law regarding the preservation of public health.