Developing a tool for assessing public health law in countries

Area of Science:

• Public Health Law
• Health Policy Analysis
• International Health Regulations

Background:

• The World Health Organization (WHO) is creating a tool to evaluate national public health legislation.
• An expert consultation identified the need for a standardized approach to assess legal frameworks impacting public health.
• The broad scope of public health law necessitates a focused approach on key policy areas.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a comprehensive tool for assessing the status of public health legislation in member states.
• To provide a framework for a regional approach to evaluating the scope, completeness, and adequacy of public health laws.
• To support member states in identifying and addressing gaps in their public health legal frameworks.

Main Methods:

• Convening expert consultations to define the scope and structure of the assessment tool.
• Developing a questionnaire format for assessing primary and subsidiary legislation.
• Piloting Version 1 of the tool in selected countries (Philippines, Republic of Korea, Samoa, Vanuatu).

Main Results:

• The assessment tool was designed with four modules: International Digest on Health Law, Primary Health Care, International Health Regulations 2005, and Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
• Initial piloting indicated the tool is generally usable, though concerns about standardizing WHO policy compliance were noted.
• The tool requires respondents (government officials, legal academics) to identify, describe, and provide relevant legislation.

Conclusions:

• The developed tool provides a structured method for assessing public health legislation.
• Further refinement and country-specific adaptation are planned for the tool's next stages.
• The tool aims to enhance national capacity in public health law and support WHO policy implementation.