News / Health
Zimbabwe to review public health laws
31 Jul 2011 at 10:44hrs | Views
The Zimbabwe government has started revising the Public Health Act to align it with modern trends, an official has revealed.
The legislation, which was enacted in 1924, has been sharply criticized for failing to address challenges besetting the health sector.
Head of Epidemiology and Disease control in the ministry of health Dr Portia Manangazira quoted by the state media New Ziana said the existing law was now outdated.
"Some of the diseases and treatment which have since emerged call for a review of health policies, which is long overdue. We cannot continuously refer to a document that is nearly 80 years old and depriving effective administration of good health practices," she said.
Dr Manangazira said the government had in the past struggled to effectively tackle disease outbreaks due to the flawed legislation.
She said the government was copying from other countries with robust health legislation.
"We have had problems in trying to implement some of the public health interventions such as cholera outbreaks, the six killer diseases, HIV and TB.
Some faith based organizations do not permit their members to seek attention at health facilities while others do not take their children for vaccinations.
Traditional healers have also come under fire for delaying to refer patients to hospitals, resulting in avoidable deaths.
"Consultative meetings are being done locally, regionally and with health experts and those responsible for implementing the law, to produce a relevant document that relates to issues of today," said Dr Manangazira.
"It is in the best interest of the country to come up with an act that will safeguard the nation's health," she said.
The legislation, which was enacted in 1924, has been sharply criticized for failing to address challenges besetting the health sector.
Head of Epidemiology and Disease control in the ministry of health Dr Portia Manangazira quoted by the state media New Ziana said the existing law was now outdated.
"Some of the diseases and treatment which have since emerged call for a review of health policies, which is long overdue. We cannot continuously refer to a document that is nearly 80 years old and depriving effective administration of good health practices," she said.
Dr Manangazira said the government had in the past struggled to effectively tackle disease outbreaks due to the flawed legislation.
"We have had problems in trying to implement some of the public health interventions such as cholera outbreaks, the six killer diseases, HIV and TB.
Some faith based organizations do not permit their members to seek attention at health facilities while others do not take their children for vaccinations.
Traditional healers have also come under fire for delaying to refer patients to hospitals, resulting in avoidable deaths.
"Consultative meetings are being done locally, regionally and with health experts and those responsible for implementing the law, to produce a relevant document that relates to issues of today," said Dr Manangazira.
"It is in the best interest of the country to come up with an act that will safeguard the nation's health," she said.
Source - New Ziana
