Vol. 517 No. 4
61 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the lack of regulation of practitioners of alternative medicine; and the steps, if any, he will take to ensure consumer protection. [8043/00]
The position in relation to complementary and alternative medicine in Ireland is that currently it is not regulated. Practitioners are not employed within the public health services and the dealings of practitioners with their clients are regulated by civil law.
A resolution was put before the European Commission in 1997 to consider carrying out a research study with a view to introducing regulation in the area. However, despite the comprehensiveness of this resolution, the EU Commission was unable to develop a harmonised policy regarding the regulation of alternative medicine, on a pan-European level. More recently, an EU Parliament resolution of June 1999 repeated this call for an European approach to non-conventional medicines and suggested that member states promote official recognition of alternative medicine in medical facilities and its use in hospitals.
I am endeavouring currently to implement a system of statutory registration for allied health professionals which when introduced, will provide a registration "model", addressing complex areas of concern – finance, protection of title, professional representation, fitness to practise, etc. – as well as the legal implications of establishing registration boards for each member of the profession to enforce these functions. This should indicate in broad terms the type of framework which might be put in place in respect of practitioners of alternative medicine.
Some of the issues surrounding the current situation regarding alternative medicine have been raised at meetings I have had with a number of interests in the health services. I am conscious from these discussions of the complexities associated with any formal regulation process. My Department is engaged in preliminary discussions at European level to explore what options might be appropriate to progress this issue further at national level.
