Law No. 4 of 2009 on Public Health.

This Law, comprising 77 articles, sets out a comprehensive framework for the protection and promotion of public health. According to Article 3, its objectives are to: (i) improve public health, with particular emphasis on maternal and child health, and reduce mortality rates to internationally accepted levels; (ii) prevent and combat common, infectious, and endemic diseases, and strengthen preparedness for epidemic outbreaks and pandemics; (iii) enhance preventive, diagnostic, curative, and rehabilitative health services through health units, centres, rural hospitals, and referral hospitals, while regulating the supervision of health facilities and the practice of medical and allied professions; (iv) regulate health-related activities and coordinate the efforts of ministries and other relevant bodies in the health sector; (v) regulate the registration, circulation, and distribution of medicines in accordance with established procedures; (vi) improve quality of life and develop health insurance systems for elderly persons and persons with disabilities; (vii) control occupational diseases, environmental hazards, and injuries, eliminate health nuisances, and promote occupational health and safety in workplaces and human settlements; (viii) prevent and treat mental health disorders, combat addiction, and address harmful health-related behaviours; (ix) ensure the safe handling, transportation, storage, and disposal of chemicals, equipment, and hazardous or flammable materials; (x) promote health education, encourage healthy lifestyles, and integrate health education into school curricula; (xi) strengthen capacity to respond to injuries and diseases arising from natural disasters, including through the provision of field hospitals and related facilities; (xii) protect the environment by ensuring environmental sanitation, access to safe water and food, and the proper disposal of solid, liquid, and gaseous waste and emissions; (xiii) prevent and treat malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, including deficiencies in iron and vitamins; and (xiv) regulate the preservation, transportation, and burial of human remains in designated cemeteries and burial sites. Article 4 entrusts the Ministry of Public Health and Population with overseeing public health services, including healthcare delivery, the licensing and supervision of health facilities and professionals, health insurance development, pharmaceutical regulation, health education and training, environmental health monitoring, disease control, and the implementation of health programmes for vulnerable groups.
Chapters 6 and 7 establish a regulatory framework for the protection and safety of drinking water and sewage systems. They assign the Ministry of Public Health and Population, in coordination with relevant authorities, responsibility for ensuring that water intended for human consumption is safe, monitoring water sources and distribution systems to prevent contamination, regulating water treatment, transport, storage, distribution, and bottling processes, and overseeing the quality of imported water. The provisions also impose duties on those responsible for water facilities and infrastructure to protect them from pollution and to promptly report any contamination to the competent authorities. Article 21 establishes a framework for the oversight of wastewater and sewage systems, requiring the Ministry, in coordination with relevant authorities, to monitor wastewater, sewage networks, internal plumbing systems, and treatment plants to ensure compliance with sanitary standards and the protection of public health. It also empowers the Ministry to take all necessary measures to prevent actual or potential health risks arising from deficiencies or hazards within these systems. Chapter 8 addresses malnutrition and sets out the relevant measures in Article 22. It requires the Ministry to promote healthy lifestyles by encouraging proper nutrition and positive health behaviours, including physical activity and efforts to reduce smoking, Qat chewing, and other harmful practices. It also mandates measures to combat malnutrition-related diseases by improving the nutritional quality of food, including the addition of essential micronutrients such as iodine, iron, and vitamins, or requiring modifications to food composition. In addition, it prohibits the marketing of any food products that pose, or may pose, a risk to public health.
Chapter 11 regulates chemical substances through control and safety measures under Articles 30 to 35. It empowers the Ministry of Public Health and Population to issue lists of prohibited or restricted chemicals and require relevant authorities to prevent their import or circulation. It also bans chemicals used in non-biodegradable plastic bags, mandates reporting by entities handling chemicals, and allows official inspection and sampling to ensure compliance. In cases of misuse, it requires remediation of public health damage and permits authorities to intervene at the offender’s expense, including the re-export of hazardous chemicals posing risks to public health. Chapter 12 (Articles 36 to 41) establishes a framework for identifying, preventing, and eliminating health nuisances and environmental hazards. It requires proper disposal of medical waste by health facilities, mandates formal notification and compulsory removal of identified hazards, and allows administrative intervention where responsible parties fail to comply. It also regulates hazardous waste management and pesticide use, sets conditions for wastewater treatment and reuse, prohibits the use of sewage water for agricultural irrigation except under strict controls, and provides measures to protect water bodies such as wells, springs, dams, and coastal areas from pollution and misuse. Chapter 14 (Articles 53 to 61) regulates medications and pharmaceuticals by establishing a comprehensive framework for their registration, pricing, distribution, and quality control. It requires all medicines to be registered under a unified system managed by the Supreme Board of Drugs and Medical Appliances, which is also responsible for setting and monitoring pharmaceutical prices. The chapter enforces strict prescription rules, bans the trade and use of expired, counterfeit, smuggled, re-packaged, or unlabelled or mislabelled medicines, as well as government-issued or free promotional drug samples. Pharmaceutical products must meet approved standards of safety, efficacy, and quality as verified by the competent authority. Compounding and preparation of medicines are restricted to licensed pharmacists. Finally, it prohibits the use of drugs for coercive or investigative purposes, including interrogation or forced confession.