Finian McGrath
Ceist:297 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will examine the provision of alternative medicines for cancer patients and assist persons financially who use these medications. [26650/02]
Vol. 559 No. 5
297 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will examine the provision of alternative medicines for cancer patients and assist persons financially who use these medications. [26650/02]
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 was 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.
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.