Aquamation: legal nail in burial and cremation's coffin?

Respect for the dead defines a community. Burial of a corpse has for many years been the only way of disposing of a dead body. Land available for burial sites is limited. In the 1960s cremation became an acceptable alternative to burial. Recently a more environmentally friendly way of disposing of a corpse was introduced to South Africa. Alkaline Hydrolysis or aquamation is a chemical process dissolving a dead body. The wastewater can be disposed of in a sewage system. Legislation has not kept up with this new technology. A new set of regulations to the National Health Act 61 of 2003 is proposed.

Impact of government budget deficits on public health sector output in Nigeria

The study examined the impact of government budget deficits on the public health sector output in Nigeria over a period of 1980 to 2018. The specifically study sought to: investigate the impact of government budget deficits affect the public health sector output in Nigeria, ascertain the impact of external borrowing on the public health sector output in Nigeria and evaluate the impact of domestic borrowing budget deficits financing on the public health sector output in Nigeria. The methods of data analysis range from argument dickey fuller unit root test, Johansen co-integration test and finally error correction method. The following results were the basic findings of the study: (1) government budget deficits have positive insignificant impact on public health sector output in Nigeria (t – statistics (0.5663) < t0.05 (1.684); (2) external borrowing of financing budget deficits has negative insignificant impact on Health sector output in Nigeria (t – statistics (-1.2746) < t0.05 (1.684) and (3) domestic borrowing of financing budget deficits has positive significant impact on Health sector output in Nigeria (t – statistics (2.1711) > t0.05 (1.684). This study concludes that the budget deficits of government have positive insignificant impact on Health sector output in Nigeria because more budget allocations are put in health recurrent government expenditure than health capital expenditure whereas health capital expenditure is the engine of growth in health sector output. The study recommended that the Federal Government should commence and continue to execute the National Health Act. Allocation’s map-out for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) should be drawn directly from the National Health Act, which is not less than 1% of the Consolidated Revenue (CRF) Fund of the Federation and is to flow from the FG's share of revenue.

FLAWED LAW: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE FAULTS AND SHORTCOMINGS OF CHAPTER 8 OF THE NATIONAL HEALTH ACT OF 2003

During 2011 health law grew by the addition of eight new Regulations dealing with stem cells and related matters. This added to the already existing six of Regulations which had been sporadically published since 2007. All these Regulations supplement the National Health Act of 2003. This legislative excess begs the question: Why has it been at all necessary to flood the legislative landscape surrounding the Act. The Act is a complex one and it entrenches various health policy principles. It is also framework-legislation meaning that only broad legal guidelines are provided and it must be “fleshed out” in Regulations. This however does not satisfy the question as to why this “fleshing out” has been done so overwhelmingly considering the period of time which the Act has been in force and keeping in mind these Regulations apply only to a single chapter of the Act. The aim of this article is thus an analysis of certain provisions in chapter 8 of the Act which will entail an explanation of its content, followed by a dissection thereof and suggestions. Ultimately, this article attempts to illustrate thatstem cell research, therapy and technology in general is not sufficiently regulated by chapter 8 which is so fatally flawed that it is almost dead legislation. It is recommended that new and comprehensive, updated and corresponding Regulations be drafted to supplement and correct the Act.

Promotion of Access to Information Act: Key issues for occupational therapists

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: Increasingly, healthcare practice, including occupational therapy, is influenced by non-medical legislation, such as the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), which regulates the right to access information held by others. While the PAIA does not intend to limit existing access to information rights, such as a patient's right to access their health information in terms of the National Health Act, the PAIA does provide better clarity regarding access to patients' information than health-related legislation and policies, including those of the Health Professions Council of South Africa METHOD: Using normative analysis of a desktop review of relevant legislation, case law and literature, this paper aims to provide guidance to occupational therapists about patients' right to access their information in terms of five themes: Theme 1: What is the difference between a public and a private body? Theme 2: Who may request access to information? Theme 3: Is there a prescribed process to be followed when requesting access to information? Theme 4: What is the nature of information to which access is granted? Theme 5: Are there any circumstances under which access may reasonably be refused? CONCLUSION: The paper concludes that, while existing health-related legislation and policies already provide the right to access to information, application of specific guidance from the PAIA e.g., using prescribed forms to request access, could serve to better protect patients' and practitioners' interests alike Key words: PAIA, National Health Act, healthcare practitioners, patient records, access to information, occupational therapy record-keeping, health-related legislation and policies.

Tertiary hospital standards in Nigeria: A review of current status

Nigeria’s tertiary hospitals have faced public criticisms over substandard services and poor infrastructure reported in the mass media during early to mid-2019. Peer-reviewed studies in the medical literature have painted similar pictures of poor healthcare quality at most of the nation’s public hospitals. For instance, studies have revealed tertiary hospitals lacking vital equipment needed for emergency care of acute asthma and obstetric hemorrhage, while hospital administrators complain of insufficient personnel made worse by inadequate electricity from the national grid, poor government funding and bureaucratic bottlenecks undermining staff recruitment and training. This grim situation is at total variance with global best practices for tertiary healthcare adopted by many countries. Matters may yet get worse with Nigeria now in the midst of a coronavirus epidemic and its potential to overburden weak healthcare systems unless urgent efforts are made to improve healthcare quality. A practical and effective way to improve healthcare quality is via strict enforcement of minimum healthcare standards in line with global best practices and the regulatory provisions of the nascent National Tertiary Health Institutions Standards Committee established by the National Health Act 2014.

Embedding Ethical Principles in the Information Science Research Process

The chapter focuses on important aspects of ethics that will guide an information science researcher to consider ethics as an integral part of a successful research project. The Nuremberg Code, Belmont Report, and Declaration of Helsinki informed ethical principles and practices that are seen as internationally acceptable. Since the inception of the National Health Act 61 of 2003 in South Africa, which informs research practices related to all disciplines, ethics has become a mandatory part of the research process. However, applying ethical principles during research may, at times, be fraught with difficulties. Cultural diversity, transformation, and technological advancements expand the complexity of ethical issues that researchers should consider. It is important for prospective researchers to gain knowledge and understanding of the context of ethics and its application throughout the research process. Researchers are required to adhere to strict ethical principles related to respect, consent, beneficence, non-maleficence, confidentiality, and anonymity.

Nigerian laws on informed consent before a surgical procedure

Informed consent is a process of communication between a clinician and a patient, which results in the patient's agreement to undergo a medical procedure. Rule 19 Part A: Code of Medical Ethics of Nigeria and Section 23 of the National Health Act 2004 prescribe the process of obtaining consent before a medical intervention. The equitable law of torts and/or criminal liabilities that deal with medical negligence should be invoked more often by patients whose right to informed consent is denied by medical practitioners.

Health Information Systems, eHealth Strategy, and the Management of Health Records

South Africa's health sector faces two main transformation challenges: inequity and a legacy of fragmentation. This chapter traces the history of health policy development in the country in seven phases from the 17th century to the present time. It describes the efforts in transformation made through the promulgation of the National Health Act in 2003 and the eHealth Strategy in 2012. The chapter explores the utility of maturity assessment in assessing whether transformation goals through an analysis of five maturity models: Digital Preservation Capability maturity model, eHealth maturity model, Enterprise Content Management maturity model, Health Normative Standards Framework maturity model, and Records Management Capacity Assessment System. South Africa is already using two of the five models demonstrating that is not just reliant on technology but has developed strategies and principles to guide the transformation process. The chapter argues for more expansive adoption of maturity assessment to cover the full records lifecycle.