Protection of the public through better regulation of the alternative healthcare sector will be recommended in a report today which is expected to set out practical steps for registration of complementary medicine practitioners.
The report, commissioned by the Department of Health and Children, paves the way for the planned registration of practitioners such as homeopaths and herbalists, who currently do not need to be formally registered in order to begin trading.
Moves towards regulation are likely to be welcomed by consumer groups and some representative bodies as an important step towards protecting the public from bogus or "quack" alternative and complementary therapists.
It is understood that today's report will fall short of recommending statutory registration for practitioners in the alternative healthcare sector, as is currently planned for health professionals such as physiotherapists and dietitians.
Today's report will instead recommend that self-regulation of the sector be developed rapidly and that therapists be encouraged to establish registers of their members.
The Minister for Health and Children, Mr Martin, commissioned the report from the Institute of Public Administration. A commitment to introduce registration of practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine was made in the Government's Health Strategy published last year.
Mr Martin has said it is essential to protect the public accessing services in the area and has sought a "robust" system of regulation.
It is likely that, as a first step, each therapy organisation would have to compile an official register of practitioners, whose qualifications and clinical competence would be scrutinised before they made it on to the list.
Only registered and trained therapists would be legally permitted to call themselves herbalists, homeopaths, acupuncturists and so on.
It is understood that today's report will highlight the need for the development of research in the area as well as the gathering of better information on complementary therapies and practitioners.
The report will also emphasise the need for education and continuous professional development of practitioners and the protection of the public through regulation.
Regulation would help guard against cases such as a recent one in which customers inadvertently bought cream containing steroids for eczema treatment from a self-styled herbalist in Limerick. The Irish Medicines Board successfully prosecuted Mr Donal Walsh last year for illegally selling his creams by mail order.