Public Health Law No. 20 of 2004.

This Law, consisting of 85 articles divided in XIII chapters, aims at establishing the basic rules to govern human health in West Bank and Gaza. It assigns the responsibility of combating infectious diseases and epidemics by all means possible to the Ministry of Health (MOH) and enumerates its responsibilities for the purpose of implementing the Law. The Ministry shall: 1) provide preventive, diagnostic, curative and rehabilitative services to the mother and child; 2) monitor food safety; 3) prohibit any profession or craft that affect the public health or the environmental health unless there was a written permit obtained from the Ministry itself; 4) conduct, in cooperation with the competent bodies health and environmental awareness optical, visual, and hearing programs; 5) in coordination with competent bodies, determine the health hazards that negatively affect public health or the environmental health in any way possible; 6) determine conditions for transfer, storage, treatment or disposal of hazardous items, usage and exchange of pesticides for agricultural and public health purposes, collection, recycling or reuse of wastewater and rain water; 7) distribute the governmental health institutions and their services and specifications in accordance with people’s needs; 8) authorize medical or auxiliary professions; 9) approve all medications and drugs should be registered in the Pharmacopoeia; 10) conduct inspections in any health institution, pharmacy or any place expected to have medicines, and medical products. The Ministry shall among others approve, license and monitor businesses, crafts and food industries and the places of selling. It also has the authority to take all necessary and precautionary measures to stop the spread of disease through: 1) imposing vaccinations and needed medications; 2) confiscating and destroying all material contaminated with the disease, or that could be a source of spread of the disease, in coordination with competent bodies; 3) imposing quarantine measures to prevent the spread of disease and 4) to bury the dead in the manner the Ministry deem fit.
Chapter IV on Food Safety further specifies the powers and responsibilities of the Ministry relating to food safety. Accordingly, the Ministry shall demand food factories and importers to provide information on the composition and use of the food, any other information relating to public health, as well as a sample of the food. This may include information relevant for the traceability of food of animal origin.
The XIII Chapters are entitled as follows: Definitions and General Principals (I); Mother and Child Health (II); Combating Diseases (III); Food Safety (IV); Occupational Health (V); Health Education (VI); Loathsome Sites (VII); Health Institutions (VIII); Medical and Auxiliary Professions (IX); Medications and Drugs (X); Burial of the Dead (XI); Monitoring and Inspections (XII); and Penalties and Final Provisions (XIII).The XIII Chapters are entitled as follows: Definitions and General Principals (I); Mother and Child Health (II); Combating Diseases (III); Food Safety (IV); Occupational Health (V); Health Education (VI); Loathsome Sites (VII); Health Institutions (VIII); Medical and Auxiliary Professions (IX); Medications and Drugs (X); Burial of the Dead (XI); Monitoring and Inspections (XII); and Penalties and Final Provisions (XIII).