ALTERNATIVE health practitioners such as homeopaths and healers could be fined or jailed for breaching professional standards, under new powers for Victoria's health watchdog being considered by the state government.

The scheme would allow Victoria's Health Services Commissioner to ban or restrict alternative therapists' practices if they breached a statutory code of conduct, and take court action to enforce the orders where necessary.

At present commissioner Beth Wilson is limited in her ability to deal with alternative therapists who behave unethically, because they are not regulated by national boards that can remove their right to practise - unlike doctors, nurses and dentists.

The problem is highlighted by Noel Campbell, a former dentist found by Victoria's Court of Appeal to have made deceptive and misleading claims about his ability to cure or treat cancer using alternative treatments, including ozone therapy.

Mr Campbell has vowed to continue treating patients and said the finding that he had breached fair trading laws - after a two-year investigation by Ms Wilson - only prevented him from advertising his services in a certain way.