TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR US!
Please support our campaign to gain statutory regulation which will save herbs and the practice of herbal medicine in the UK.
We urge the Government to act now so that tens of thousands of people who rely on Chinese herbal medicine can continue to receive the high-quality treatment and herbal medicines that they need.
From April 2011, a new EU law will mean that even fully qualified Chinese medicine practitioners will lose access to the majority of the herbs and medicines on which they rely. Many herbs and medicines will only be available to medical professionals who are regulated by the Government, such as GPs. Many practitioners will go out of business, and their patients will not be able to receive the treatment that they need. Consumers who have safely accessed herbal medicines for years will be forced to buy from unsafe internet sites or from bogus back-street practitioners.
The new government can prevent this by granting STATUTORY REGULATION to Chinese medicine practitioners.
At present, anyone can call themselves a Chinese medicine practitioner and treat the public. They do not have to be qualified or competent and yet they have access to powerful herbal medicines.
In February 2010, the Old Bailey heard how a civil servant suffered cancer and kidney damage after taking a banned medicine sold by a Chinese medicine shop. The regulation of Chinese medicine practitioners would protect the public from such cases of malpractice.
Despite widespread support for regulation, the last Government failed to act.
Indeed, last year, the Department of Health conducted a public consultation on the regulation of practitioners of acupuncture, herbal medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. The consultation closed in November 2009, and more than 6,500 responses were received. As the Government itself says "The high response rate is a testament to the strength of feeling about public access to complementary and alternative medicines."
However, the results of the public consultation have yet to be published and the new Government has not yet made a decision about whether to grant statutory regulation for herbal medicine practitioners. Regulation would ensure that all practitioners are trained to national standards and have professional insurance.
How you can help
Please write to Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, using our template letter in its entirety or as a guide for your own personalised letter
Email: lansleya@parliament.uk
Mail: Department of Health, Richmond House, 79 Whitehall, London SW1A 2NS
and
Contact your MP, using our template letter in its entirety or as a basis for your own personalised letter
For your MP’s name and address call: 020 7219 4272 orr visit http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/
You can also become a Fan of the Facebook campaign page and ask your friends and family to do the same.
Thank you! |