According to the President, the current law does not address new and emerging public health challenges such as emergency treatment, discrimination, mental health, nutrition, reproductive health rights, regulation of marketing of products for infants and young children. He also said the existing law does not cover zoonotic diseases, non-communicable disease, antimicrobial resistance, clinical trials and complementary and alternative medicines. The President, writing further in his letter said, this has led to recent legislative enactments to either amend or repeal certain portion of the law, leaving parts of the public Health law in separate documents. These recent public health emergencies, experts say, have demonstrated a need for a strong national health system which requires robust national legal frameworks that reflect the minimum standards set out at the international level. “I trust that the Legislature will enact into law this important legislature in support of providing better health services to our people,” he urged.

Source: Front Page Africa June 02, 2020 22:18 UTC