[Contemporary relevance of the Spanish General Health Act after twenty five years]

Since its enactment in 1986, the General Health Law (Law 14/1986) has undergone several changes that have consolidated a model of National Health System. The law was embodied in 113 articles, ten Additional Provisions, five transitional arrangements, two Repeal and fifteen Final Provisions, has altogether 143 articles. After reviewing all legislation that appeared from 1986 to until today we can see that there are 106 articles (74.2%) that have lost regulatory effectiveness and merit analysis or reflection. All these items can be classified into four groups, the repealed and amended 26 articles (18.2%), 33 items of obsolete group (23.1%); the group of ill-developed are 6 articles (4.2%) and the critical (controversial and under ambiguous wording) group that has 41 articles (28.6%). After a quarter century of enforcement of the Act, two thirds of it to be reviewed. This legal weakness suggest the need of a new General Health Act for the Spanish National health System, being it a central objective of a political wide agreement.