This unit introduces students to key legal and policy topics relevant to the delivery of health care. Health care is a critical element, and an essential service in any modern society. Consequently, the provision of health care services occurs in an environment that is tightly regulated and influenced by laws and the legal system. This unit introduces students to aspects of the Australian legal system that impact directly on the provision of health care services by health professionals and institutions. The focus is on the legal principles and legislative provisions that regulate safe and competent practice and emerging issues in contemporary medical practice. The unit begins with an analysis of the Australian health services framework and environment and traces the development of the law relating to this field. It then examines essential issues such as doctor patient relationship, the regulation of the medical profession, the liability of medical centres, and the rights of patients in complex issues such as euthanasia, abortion, minors and their capacity for consent, and the rights of HIV patients. The unit further examines issues relating to mental health, organ and tissue donation, medical experiments and bioethics. The unit also includes a component on the right to health as an essential human right in modern Australian society.