Royal Decree No. 43/2025 promulgating the Public Health Law.

This Law, comprising 45 articles, aims to (i) establish a comprehensive system of scientific and practical rules to promote and protect public health; (ii) strengthen local and international coordination and cooperation in preparedness and response to public health events; and (iii) raise public awareness of factors and risks affecting health. The Ministry ensures the provision of comprehensive healthcare services - preventive, curative, and rehabilitative - to citizens, residents, and visitors through public, private, and public-private partnership institutions, all committed to delivering high-quality, safe, and accessible care. Article 6 guarantees patients’ rights under applicable laws and prohibits any form of discrimination in accessing preventive or healthcare services. Article 8 protects the confidentiality of patients’ personal and health-related information, permitting disclosure only as allowed by law. Article 7 forbids the dissemination of rumors and the sharing of undisclosed public health information. Under Article 9, the Ministry will develop public health education programs and curricula, promote them through the media, and implement them across educational and institutional settings.
Under Article 10, the relevant authorities, each within their jurisdiction, shall coordinate with the Ministry to protect and promote public health. This includes (i) developing policies, plans, and programs; (ii) preventing, monitoring, and controlling diseases; (iii) protecting wildlife, the environment, and natural resources; (iv) implementing strategies to reduce infectious disease risks; (v) regulating tobacco and narcotics; (vi) promoting healthy nutrition; (vii) overseeing food, supplements, and medical foods; (viii) raising public health awareness; (ix) safeguarding agricultural and livestock resources; (x) setting health standards for facilities and sites; (xi) managing medical waste; (xii) responding to emergencies and epidemics; (xiii) conducting public health research; (xiv) ensuring pharmaceutical security; (xv) providing integrated care for vulnerable groups; (xvi) controlling disease vectors.
Chapter 2, on Physical and Mental Health, establishes that (i) human cloning and unauthorized medical procedures, including abortion and sex reassignment, are strictly regulated; (ii) medical research requires informed consent, while organ donation, stem cell use, and pharmaceutical preparation follow strict legal and ethical rules; (iii) the Ministry prioritizes maternal, child, and vulnerable population health, including preventive care, vaccinations, and home visits; (iv) health services are provided in educational and care institutions, ensuring safe food and compliance with health standards; (v) preventive, therapeutic, and rehabilitative mental health services are regulated, including patient rights and compulsory care where necessary.
Chapter 3, regarding Infectious Diseases, Epidemics, and Border Health, provides that the Ministry, in coordination with relevant authorities, develops and implements strategies to prevent and control infectious diseases and epidemics, monitors antimicrobial resistance, and maintains an updated list of diseases. It oversees controls during public health emergencies and establishes comprehensive epidemiological surveillance for early detection, prediction, and intervention. Authorities must also manage disease control at border points, supervising transport, travelers, and goods to protect public health.
Chapter 4 concerns the following 3 health topics: (1) Food; (2) Occupational safety; (3) Environmental protection. This includes for food (i) promoting healthy and therapeutic nutrition, setting food manufacturing standards, and regulating unsafe or harmful food and beverages; (ii) establishing guidelines for healthy diets, food labeling, supplements, advertising, and providing safe alternative food options; (iii) ensuring safe drinking water, monitoring its sources, treatment, storage, and distribution, and preventing contamination. As concerns occupational health (i) controlling air pollution and emissions, and monitoring industrial and workplace practices affecting public health; (ii) regulating occupational health and safety, including equipment standards, personal protective measures, and workplace inspections. While protecting environmental health includes (i) impact assessments for new projects; (ii) managing hazardous and solid waste, wastewater collection, treatment, and safe disposal; (iii) licensing and controlling chemicals, and regulating their import, export, production, and safe disposal; (iv) setting health standards for land use, buildings, markets, slaughterhouses, fish and poultry facilities, and cemeteries, including safety, infection control, and proper burial or cremation practices; (v) establishing procedures for handling human remains and protecting public comfort and safety from health hazards.