Health Legislation

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.

The Act consolidates the laws relating to the registration of births and deaths in Lesotho. It makes compulsory the registration of the birth of a child, whether born alive or still-born, and of the death of any person dying after the commencement of the Act (section 3). The office of the Registrar General is the general register office for keeping the register of all births and deaths occurring in Lesotho (section 4).

These regulations have been adopted pursuant to two sections of the Public Health Order of 1970: article 16j referring to the enactment of regulations for the prevention of the spread of any communicable disease by persons who are "carriers" of the disease (...) and article 71m referring to regulations for requiring the medical examination of any person in any premises in which any milk or dairy produce or other article of food intended for sale is collected, kept sold (...).

The Order makes provision for citizenship of Lesotho, for the acquisition, deprivation and renunciation of citizenship, and for related and connected matters.

The Order provides rules regarding diseases subject to the international Health Regulation, the prevention and control of communicable diseases; sanitation and housing; and food and water protection among other aspects.

The order mandates the creation of a medical, Dental and Pharmacy Council; and regulates the keeping and sale of poisons and other related matters.

This Act consolidates the laws relating to the registration of births, marriages and deaths.