Africa-Press – Uganda. A section of the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have asked Parliament to repeal the Public Health Act and replace it with more enabling regulations.
While disseminating findings of an analysis of Public Health Act and Public Health Amendment Act in Kampala on Monday, a senior researcher from Ahaki, Mr Nimrod Muhumuza, said the Act is outdated and not suitable for the current situation.
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“Given that Parliament has opted to amend the Public Health Act, one of our key recommendations is that we should repeal the Public Health Act enacted in 1935 by the British. It is good that the Public Health Amendment Act moves away from a narrow to broad definition of public health to include all current and future public health crisis,” Mr Muhumuza said.
World Health Organisation (WHO) defines public health as the art and science of preventing diseases, prolonging life and promoting health through organised efforts of society.
Subsequently, CSO members want the scope of the current legislation to cover sexual and reproductive health and rights as a significant pillar of public health efforts in the country. They say the public health regulation should acknowledge human rights principles while guiding the implementation of the Act.
Other recommendations, include provision of inter-dependence between the right to health and other social, economic and political rights in implementing public health measures, provide a mechanism for community involvement in drafting, implementation and management of Public Health Act.
They also want the law to clearly spell out the main custodian, administrative structure and hierarchy of the key authorities in the Act for accountability.
However, Dr Charles Olaro, the director of curative services in the Health ministry, said although the Act is 87 years old, it cannot be repealed since it still has relevant legislations.
“Most of the regulations which we applied during Covid-19 outbreak are from this Act. We cannot completely repeal it because it is still a very useful law [Act],” Dr Olaro said.
He added: “Parliament and the Ministry of Health reviewed it and decided to make a new Bill which initially has been sent to the President to ascent to the new Bill and when he ascents, it will become an Act. The purpose of the Act is to sustain life and prevent diseases so that the population can remain productive and be able to contribute to social-economic development.”
He also called for explicit coordination among line ministries to prevent diseases.
Dr Olaro added that the Agriculture ministry is key since some of the diseases that are affecting human beings are coming from animals.
The acting chairperson for Parliamentary Committee on Health, Dr George Bhoka Didi, said with a world population of 8 billion people and 45 million people in Uganda, the health and wellbeing of people is key.
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