Suggested changes to the National Health Act have kicked up a public storm. Analysts say the way they have been put together doesn’t help.
South Africa’s COVID-19 state of disaster ended in late March 2022. The government is now looking to add some of the regulations used to manage the pandemic to existing law – the National Health Act.
NDZ is shorthand for Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, minister of cooperative governance and often the public face of pandemic rules. “It is national legislation that covers the operation of several areas of what we classically deem the ‘health sector’,” Petronell Kruger, senior researcher at the Wits University Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science, told Africa Check.
The health department defines notifiable medical conditions as diseases “of public health importance because they pose significant public health risks that can result in disease outbreaks or epidemics with high case fatality rate”. COVID-19 was declared a notifiable condition in May 2020. These include having to submit to medical examination, be admitted to quarantine, submit to “mandatory prophylaxis” or other treatment, and more.
London pointed out, for example, that the 2017 regulations “make it clear that the need for any mandatory action must be ‘determined on a case-by-case basis and tailored depending on the public health risk and individual circumstances of the person in question’”. “It is not only the regulations that are concerning, but also the complete lack of oversight on the minister to implement any of these regulations,” she said.
“Technically, once enforced, it would be permanent or until the regulations are further amended,” London said.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
South Africa's public transport system has basically come to a standstill - South Africa TodayThe transport system of a country is one of the most important components of a healthy and growing economy, and the budget allocated to it reflects how much the government values it. South Africa’s public transport system has basically come to a standstill with an ever-shrinking budget. The decline is so serious that taxis, which […]
Read more »
Africa has contained monkey pox outbreaks during Covid-19 pandemic - Africa CDCSeveral outbreaks of monkey pox in Africa have been contained during the Covid-19 pandemic while the world's attention was elsewhere, and outbreaks in Europe and the United States are a concern.
Read more »
There is still good news for home buyers in South AfricaBanks are lending and overall confidence in the property market in South Africa is higher than it was at the end of 2021, with the sentiment towards buying property increasing marginally.
Read more »
Eat fruit, talk more with loved ones, Bank of America tells South AfricaSouth Africans seeking respite from high inflation and looming price increases should consider going vegan, drinking less alcohol and avoiding bread, according to Bank of America.
Read more »
Best fibre prices in South Africa — Herotel’s bold claims testedLaying claim to offering the best fibre broadband prices in South Africa is a fraught endeavour.
Read more »