Belize is in the process of drafting new legislation for the management of public health. A two-day workshop began today at the Biltmore Hotel on restructuring the present Public Health Act and drafting a new General Health Act. Director of Health Services Dr. Errol Vanzie says the old health laws which date back to the 1940s are outdated.
Dr. Errol Vanzie, Director of Health Services
"We have many areas of concerns that the present legislation does not address and hence the need to develop a general act that will guide the sector in its development so that do not leave areas uncovered and at the same time we prevent overlap with other sectors like agriculture, environment. This has happened in the past because we did not have a general outline of what were the overall responsibilities of the health sector."
Representatives from the Ministry of Health and other relevant government departments are participating in the workshop which ends tomorrow. The final draft of the new health legislation should be completed by September.
