NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO. 334
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 18 February 2011
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 2)
Mr T W Coetzee (DA) to ask the Minister of Health:
Whether all legislation for which his department is responsible has been
fully implemented; if not, (a) which provisions of Acts have not been fully
implemented, (b) why have they not been implemented in each case, (c) when
will each provision be fully implemented and (d) what will be the cost of
implementing each provision?
NW359E
REPLY:
The following two Acts still have provisions that are not fully
implemented:
1. National Health Act, 2003 (Act No. 61 of 2003)
There are two chapters that are not yet in operation, namely Chapters
6 and 8, which provide for health establishments and human tissue
respectively. The Department is still developing regulations on these
Chapters and once the regulations are finalised, the Chapters will be
brought into operation. In fact, draft regulations on Chapter 8 have
already been published for comment. It is envisaged that the two
Chapters will be in operation, the latest, by the end of this year.
The promulgation of the two Chapters does not require any additional
funding as the provisions will be implemented by the existing staff of
the Department.
2. Medicines and Related Substances Act, 1965 (Act No. 101 of 1965)
The provisions that are not yet in operation relate to the
establishment of an organ of Stated called the South African Health
Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), as a successor in title of the
Medicines Control Council (MCC). It is also envisaged that the entity
will be operating, at the latest, by the end of this year. The
estimated cost of implementing these provisions is R130 million.
END.