Changes to the law which will make it more difficult for so-called "bogus" doctors to practise here are due to be brought to Cabinet before the end of this year, the Department of Health has said.
The department was responding to a report on last night's Prime Timeprogramme on RTE television which revealed that a number of individuals are offering treatments here, including radical cancer therapies, even though they are not registered with the Medical Council.
The president of the Medical Council, Prof Gerard Bury, told Prime Timethe regulatory body had become so concerned about the activities of a particular individual that it had brought them to the attention of the Minister for Health on a number of occasions.
It was alleged in the programme that a man struck off the medical register in California was practising in the Co Clare area and offering a type of cancer treatment called photodynamic therapy even though he was not a doctor and not registered by the Medical Council.
Mr Bury said the therapy had "exciting potential" in the right setting, but that it was not appropriate for such therapies to be provided on an ad hoc basis by unqualified individuals.
The Medical Council also expressed concern that it cannot investigate the activities of such "bogus" practitioners, since it has no jurisdiction over them.
However, the Department of Health said it planned changes to the 1978 Medical Practitioners' Act, which makes it an offence for a person to "falsely represent" themselves as a medical practitioner. The Medical Council currently cannot investigate someone for alleged bogus practices once he or she doesn't claim to be registered.
The department said the heads of a Bill for an amendment to the act are due to be presented to the Cabinet before the end of this year.
"It is intended to introduce appropriate penalties for those performing functions proper only to a medical practitioner and to empower the Medical Council to investigate and to take action in cases where unregistered persons are performing these functions," the department said.
"The 1978 Act defined the practise of medicine at a time when many of the newer therapies available today had not emerged. The new legislation will update this by allowing for the definition of activities proper only to medical practitioners and that a person must be properly qualified in order to act as a medical practitioner."
"The Minister recognises that there are problems in relation to the current legislation and therefore consultation has taken place with a number of keystakeholders in the preparation of amending legislation," the statement concluded.