Finian McGrath
Question:817 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on whether there is merit in correspondence (details supplied) on cancer treatment. [19754/03]
Vol. 571 No. 1
817 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on whether there is merit in correspondence (details supplied) on cancer treatment. [19754/03]
There are serious ethical and medical concerns about the provision of alternative medicines for patients suffering from serious conditions such as cancer, in cases where the treatment is not being carried out under the direction of a registered medical practitioner or in the absence of evidence in relation to the quality, safety and efficacy of the medicinal products concerned.
In order to gain the most from these types of medicinal products it is essential that they be controlled by an appropriate authority to ensure that, like all other medicinal products, they are of an appropriate quality and safe for the consumer to use. The interests of public health can best be realised when there is a formal mechanism for the assessment of these products and a subsequent means of monitoring their use in order to assure their continued safety in use.