Draft Bill on Health - Changing the Paradigms

The House of Representatives (DPR) has just adopted the Draft Bill on Health as an initiative of the DPR. This generally means that the bill will be fast-tracked through the discussion and debate phases to enactment usually within the framework of the current legislation being inappropriate or insufficient for the relevant purpose. The bill is listed in the 2005 National Legislative Program. Nevertheless, it is important to note that the DPR has recently adopted a considerable number of legislative bills as DPR initiatives and although this is expected to expedite the process to enactment a comprehensive listing for legislative debate has yet to be drafted.

The Draft Bill will, once passed by the DPR, replace the current law, Law No. 23 of 1992 on Health (Health Law). The bill indicates a significant shift in the health paradigm between the Health Law and the bill. The bill does not only reflect the changing constitutional demands but also the demands of a rapidly changing community with rapidly changing health needs.