Govt to draft regulation legislation for health workers

The Government has decided to draft new legislation aimed at regulating health workers in the same way as doctors.

At the moment, anyone can claim to be a professional like a physiotherapist or radiographer without proper qualifications or training.

Today, the cabinet ordered Health Minister Micheal Martin to devise legislation to regulate 14 health professions, inlcuding chiropodists, speech and language therapists and social workers.

Under the legislation, a registration board would regulate these professions like the Irish Medical Board monitors doctors.