By Richard Bhainie

SEVERAL pieces of legislation tailored for the enhancement and modernisation of the public health sector have been submitted to Attorney-General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, S.C., for revision. Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony, on Monday while responding to questions posed by the Guyana Chronicle, explained that the ministry has identified a large volume of archaic legislation to be repealed and/or amended.

“We have identified about 21 pieces of legislation that we would want to look at. Some of them are existing legislation that would have been quite dated; some going back to 1934 and beyond. And so, a lot of those things have no relevance in what we do currently, but, nevertheless, they are on the books, and they are quite outdated,” Dr. Anthony said. One of the important pieces of legislation that is being reviewed is the Public Health Ordinance 1934, the flaws of which were highlighted when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

The offence committed by any person who fails to comply with the COVID-19 Emergency Measures is penalised in accordance with Section 152 of the Public Health Ordinance.

If found guilty, the person who breaches the Emergency Measures is liable to a penalty not exceeding $50, or in default of payment thereof, to imprisonment for not more than two months, giving the law no deterrent effect to aid in the executing of the regulations. Dr. Anthony explained that the aim is to replace the Public Health Ordinance with a new Public Health Act, as it “is going to have similar things like what is in the ordinance but upgraded to suit modern conditions.”

The Antibiotics Act is also up for revision. Dr. Anthony explained that there are many provisions within the said legislation that are no longer in use, and the Government is looking to develop a Pharmaceutical Act that would look at the current types of medication that are in use.On request from the Medical Council of Guyana, the Medical Practitioners Act is on the list to be amended. The Council requested that aspects of the Act be revised to allow for the registration of specialisations, the minister explained.

Currently, there is no legislation in relation to the transplant of tissue from one human to another. This is one of the areas that a legislative framework is being developed to govern.To commence the process, Minister Nandlall on Wednesday met with key stakeholders of the medical fraternity to discuss various issues surrounding the type of legislation.

The Minister of Health also highlighted that legislation in relation to Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is also being developed, as none currently exists. The Attorney-General, during a recent interview, explained that updated public health legislation is imperative for Guyana at this crucial time of development the country is undergoing. “No one will want to come and invest unless they feel safe health-wise, so we have to revamp the entire public health sector, and progress has begun with a menu of legislation that is under review,” Nandlall had said.