The Act makes provision for a wide variety of matters affecting public health in Zimbabwe including, amongst other things, food safety matters, safe water supplies, appointment and duties of environmental health officers, diseases communicable by animals to men, slaughter of animals, sanitation, child nutrition. It defines fundamental human rights and freedoms in the field of public health and provides for the observance of international obligations in the field of health in Zimbabwe.
The Act is divided into 14 Parts: Preliminary (I); Administration of the Public Health System (II); Health Services (III); Infectious Diseases (IV); Sexually Transmitted Diseases or Infections (V); International Health Regulations (VI); Non-communicable Diseases (VII); Water and Food supplies (VII); Infant and Young Children Nutrition (IX); Slaughter Houses (X); Sanitation and Housing (XI); Public Health Emergencies (XII); Public Health Funds (XIII); General (XIV).
At the outset, the Act cites the Constitution on fundamental rights regarding health services, rights of elderly and children and the duty of the state to provide adequate health care. The National health system administration consists of the Ministry responsible for public health, the Minister, and the Chief Health Officer. There shall also be a Advisory Board of Public Health and an Annual National Health Consultative Forum. There shall be, for every province, a Provincial Health Officer appointed by the Health Service Board. The Health Service Board shall also appoint other specified officers for every province, who together with the Provincial Health Officer shall constitute the Provincial Health Executive. A Team to be known as the Provincial or Metropolitan Health Team must be established in every province. A similar structure is established at the District level. Where no local authority exists for the whole or part of a district, the district administrator, acting under the instructions of the Chief Health Officer shall be regarded for the purposes of this Act, as the local authority for that area. Every local authority may, and, when required by the Minister shall appoint environmental health officers to assist in carrying out the provisions of this Act within its district.
Subject to any regulations, a local authority may license such slaughterhouses as it from time to time thinks proper within its district. No person shall use any premises as a slaughter-house, within the district of a local authority unless he or she is personally licensed in respect of those premises and no meat or viscera obtained from animals and birds shall be sold unless the animals and birds have been slaughtered in a registered abattoir and have been inspected by a meat inspector.
Every local authority shall reasonably take care that a sufficient supply of wholesome water for drinking and domestic purposes is supplied and carry out waterworks for this purposes. Waterworks and acquisition of property for such works shall be approved by the Minister. Refusal to do so shall be an offence. the Water Act and the Environmental Management Act shall apply to any question concerning the standards of water for the purposes of this Act. The responsibility to approve and monitor the implementation of sanitation technologies and other hygiene enabling technologies shall be with the Ministry responsible for health. Waterworks may be inspected by the Chief Health Officer or other authority.
The Minister shall act in consultation with the Minister responsible for Agriculture or other relevant Ministry, to make regulations relating to- (a) the prevention and control of zoonotic diseases; (b) health screening of animals and animal products; (c) waste water use in agriculture.
An Act to provide for public health; to provide for the conditions for improvement of the health and quality of life and the health care for all people in Zimbabwe; to provide for the rights, duties, powers and functions of all parties in the public health system, to provide for measures for administration of public health; to repeal the Public Health Act [Chapter 15:09]; and to provide for matters connected therewith.
Date of text 01 Jan 2018 Source language Legislation Amendment Implemented by on 01 Jan 2020 on 28 Mar 2020 on 02 May 2020 on 01 Jan 1924This website is supported by and contributing to the InforMEA Project which is funded by the European Union
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