Zambia Act or statute

Zambia legislation

Human Tissue Act, 1962

body examinationmedical researchmedical supervisionpost-mortem and body authority controlstherapeutic use

Jurisdiction: Zambia
Structure: 5 provisions
Citation: Act 47 of 1962
Dates: Source version 31 Dec 1996

More statute details

Dates: Source version 31 Dec 1996

Publicly available, excluded from search-engine indexing

This page remains available for direct research for the following reasons:

The record does not meet this release's canonical indexing criteria. (market-indexing-disabled)
The record does not meet this release's canonical indexing criteria. (emergency-noindex)

On this page

Professional statute overview

Enactment structure, operative effect and source provenance

Official source

Purpose and legislative effect

“This section says the Act may be cited as the Human Tissue Act.”

This section says the Act may be cited as the Human Tissue Act. The person in lawful possession of a deceased person’s body may authorise examination, use, and removal of parts for therapeutic purposes, medical education, or research in specified circumstances. The section stops a person from giving or acting on an authority under section 2 when certain body-handling procedures may be required, and it limits who may give that authority in some cases. Examinations of bodies or body parts under section 2 authority must be done by or under a medical practitioner’s instructions, and removal of a body part must be done by a medical practitioner. This section says the Act does not make unlawful any dealing with a deceased person’s body, or part of it, if that dealing is already lawful apart from the Act.

How the instrument operates

01
Start with the recorded version

Source version 31 Dec 1996. The date shown identifies this source expression and should not be treated as proof that no later change exists.
02
Locate the controlling provision

Use the provision map, part headings and full-text filter to move from the broad subject to the exact legal language.
03
Read conditions and exceptions together

Keep subsections, definitions, provisos and cross-references in context before drawing a legal conclusion.
04
Verify currency and official wording

Confirm later legislation, commencement notices and corrections with the official publisher before advice, filing or reliance.

Research entry points

Selected provisions across the instrument. Open any row to continue with the exact stored text.

Short title ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1

This section says the Act may be cited as the Human Tissue Act.

Section 1

Examination and use of bodies for medical purposes ...................................................................................................................... 1

The person in lawful possession of a deceased person’s body may authorise examination, use, and removal of parts for therapeutic purposes, medical education, or research in specified circumstances.

Section 2

Further provision with respect to the giving of an authority for the examination and use of bodies .............................. 1

The section stops a person from giving or acting on an authority under section 2 when certain body-handling procedures may be required, and it limits who may give that authority in some cases.

Section 3

Examination of bodies and removal of parts to be undertaken under medical supervision ............................................... 2

Examinations of bodies or body parts under section 2 authority must be done by or under a medical practitioner’s instructions, and removal of a body part must be done by a medical practitioner.

Section 4

Saving .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 2

This section says the Act does not make unlawful any dealing with a deceased person’s body, or part of it, if that dealing is already lawful apart from the Act.

Section 5

Source and current-law status

Source record view

Source record from zambialii.org · Source version 31 Dec 1996

Verify current force

The source record does not state a definitive current-law status. Check the official publisher and later amendments before relying on this text.

For advice, pleadings, or compliance decisions, retain the official source and confirm the current consolidated provision.

Official record

Source-indexed provision map

Sections and provisions

Search by section, heading, part or exact legal wording. Every result remains linked to the stored source record.

Search within this statute

Search all stored provisions in this version.

Showing 5 of 5 provisions

Provision 3Short titleAmendment

§ 1Short title ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1Short title

This section says the Act may be cited as the Human Tissue Act.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Human Tissue Act.

Section 1Verify source

§ 2Examination and use of bodies for medical purposes ...................................................................................................................... 1Provision

The person in lawful possession of a deceased person’s body may authorise examination, use, and removal of parts for therapeutic purposes, medical education, or research in specified circumstances.

2. Examination and use of bodies for medical purposes (1) If any person, either in writing at any time or orally in the presence of two or more witnesses during his last illness, has expressed a request that after his death his body or any speciﬁed part of his body be used for therapeutic purposes or be examined or used for purposes of medical education or research, the person lawfully in possession of his body after his death may, unless he has reason to believe that the request was subsequently withdrawn, authorise the examination or use of the body or of the speciﬁed part, in accordance with the request, and for that purpose may authorise the removal from the body of any part or, as the case may be, the speciﬁed part, for such examination or use. (2) Without prejudice to the provisions of subsection (1), the person lawfully in possession of the body of a deceased person may, for the said purposes, authorise the examination or use of the body and the removal from the body of any part if, having made such reasonable inquiry as may be practicable, he has no reason to believe— (a) (b) that the deceased had expressed an objection to his body being so dealt with after his death, and had not withdrawn it; or that the surviving spouse or any surviving relative of the deceased objects to the body being so dealt with. (3) Subject to the provisions of this Act— (a) the examination and use of, or of any part of, a body; and (b) the removal of any part of a body; in accordance with an authority given in pursuance of this section shall be lawful.

Section 2Verify source

§ 3Further provision with respect to the giving of an authority for the examination and use of bodies .............................. 1Amendment

The section stops a person from giving or acting on an authority under section 2 when certain body-handling procedures may be required, and it limits who may give that authority in some cases.

3. Further provision with respect to the giving of an authority for the examination and use of bodies (1) Where a person has reason to believe that, in accordance with any written law for the time being in force— (a) an inquest may be required to be held on a body; or By Laws.Africa and contributors. Licensed under CC-BY. Share widely and freely. 1 Human Tissue Act, 1962 (Chapter 306) Zambia (b) a post-mortem examination may be required to be carried out on a body; or (c) a body or any part of a body may be required to be dealt with or disposed of in any other manner prescribed by or under the written law; he shall not— (i) give an authority under section two in respect of that body or part; or (ii) act on such an authority given by any other person. (2) No authority shall be given under section two in respect of any body by a person entrusted with the body for the purpose only of its interment or cremation. (3) In the case of a body lying in a hospital, nursing home or other institution, any authority under section two may be given on behalf of the person having the control and management thereof by any ofﬁcer or person designated for that purpose by the ﬁrst-mentioned person. [As amended by G.N. No. 360 of 1963]

Section 3Verify source

§ 4Examination of bodies and removal of parts to be undertaken under medical supervision ............................................... 2Provision

Examinations of bodies or body parts under section 2 authority must be done by or under a medical practitioner’s instructions, and removal of a body part must be done by a medical practitioner.

4. Examination of bodies and removal of parts to be undertaken under medical supervision (1) No examination of, or of a part of, a body in accordance with an authority given under section two shall be carried out otherwise than by or in accordance with the instructions of a medical practitioner, who must have satisﬁed himself by a personal examination of the body that life is extinct. (2) No removal of a part of a body in accordance with an authority given under section two shall be effected except by a medical practitioner, who must have satisﬁed himself by a personal examination of the body that life is extinct.

Section 4Verify source

§ 5Saving .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 2Provision

This section says the Act does not make unlawful any dealing with a deceased person’s body, or part of it, if that dealing is already lawful apart from the Act.

5. Saving Nothing in this Act shall be construed as rendering unlawful any dealing with, or with any part of, the body of a deceased person which is lawful apart from this Act. By Laws.Africa and contributors. Licensed under CC-BY. Share widely and freely. 2

Section 5Verify source

Legislative relationships

0 referenced instruments

Names are derived from the stored provision headings and citation-enrichment layer. Treat this as a research index and verify each relationship against the source text.

No structured legislative relationships were detected

The statute remains fully searchable by provision. Consult the source text for amendments and cross-references that have not yet been indexed.

Recorded versions and source checkpoint

1 version available in this collection

Current-law checkpoint

31 Dec 1996 · currentEnglish

This relationship view does not by itself establish whether another instrument remains in force.

Check official source

Source-linked research

Ask AI about this statute

The overview, provisions, and source records above are public. Continue in a separate conversation with this statute’s jurisdiction and source version attached.