Years to alternative health rules, says FG

IT will be years before alternative medicine practitioners are subject to regulation, Fine Gael claimed yesterday.

FG spokesman on health Dr Liam Twomey said there were plans to regulate allied health professionals such as physiotherapists, chiropodists and psychologists, but not alternative practitioners.

Currently, general practitioners who engage in alternative medicine must be able to show that what they were doing had an appropriate basis under current Medical Council guidelines and will be struck off the register if they fail to do so.

Clare GP Dr Paschal Carmody was struck off last year after being found guilty of professional misconduct.

Two of the cases on which he was judged related to his involvement in the provision of an alternative light therapy to treat a patient with advanced cancer and the use of chelation therapy to treat a patient who suffered from angina.

And Mayo man Paul Howie, who died from a tumour in his throat, was treated by Mineke Kamper, an alternative therapist in Mulranny, Co Mayo.

The dead man’s wife, Michelle Howie, claimed Ms Kamper discouraged her husband from seeking medical help. Ms Kamper is believed to be still practicing after being sharply criticised over the man’s death.

Dr Carmody, who was previously prosecuted by the Irish Medicine’s Board (IMB) on charges of supplying unauthorised medicines, had a series of similar charges struck out in Tralee District Court on Monday because the IMB was unaware that the matter was before the court.

It is understood that the IMB is now seeking to have the charges re-entered.

A national working group, set up more than two years ago by former Health Minister Micheál Martin to advise on strengthening the regulatory environment for “complementary therapists/alternative practitioners”, has yet to complete its work.

The 14-member group is expected to report to Tánaiste and Health Minister Mary Harney before the end of this year. Ms Harney said she intends introducing “appropriate measures” to strengthen the regulation of complementary therapists as soon as she receives the group’s report.

In the meantime, she has asked the department’s Health Promotion Unit to explore the “possibility” of running a public information campaign aimed at providing guidance to people contemplating complementary therapy services.