South Africa’s Top Court Limits State Role in Doctor Placements

South Africa’s top court struck down parts of a law that would enable the government to determine where doctors and other healthcare professionals can work, because their constitutional rights would be undermined.

Parts of the National Health Act that gave the health minister the power to issue so-called certificates of need that healthcare professionals will require to practice, were unconstitutional and invalid, the Constitutional Court found. It also ruled that the minister shouldn’t be allowed to determine where medical equipment and facilities could be located.