A government TD is proposing a new law to jail or fine homeopaths, faith healers and bogus medical practitioners who offer to cure cancer with unproven treatments, writes Stephen O’Brien.

Kate O’Connell, a Fine Gael TD and pharmacist, plans to publish a bill in February proposing to make it a criminal offence to advertise or offer a cancer treatment that has not proven effective by medical trial.

“Cancer treatments are improving all the time, outcomes are getting better and people are living longer,” said O’Connell. “But with those improved outcomes, a lot of people think everything can be cured, and a lot of unscrupulous people come into that ‘everything is curable’ market offering cures where conventional medicines have failed,” said O’Connell.

“Opportunists take over, usually