Portugal
Homeopathic practice
Portuguese Law No. 45/2003 of 22 August 2003 on the provision of non-conventional therapies (Diário da República, Part I-A, 22 August 2003, No. 193, pp. 5391-5392, link for English translation) recognised homeopathy and other CAM modalities including acupuncture, naturopathy, osteopathy, phytotherapy and chiropractic.
It comprises the following Chapters: I. Object and principles (Secs. 1-4); II. Professional qualifications and status (Secs. 5-12) (dealing with, inter alia, the establishment, operation, and composition of a Technical Advisory Commission, the premises in which treatment is provided, and insurance to cover the civil liability of practitioners) ; III. Users (Secs. 13-16) (dealing with the right to choose therapies, informed consent, confidentiality, the right of complaint, and advertising); IV. Inspection and offences (Secs. 17-18); and V. Final provisions (Sec. 19-20).
The law stipulates that a Technical Advisory Commission be established aimed at developing requirements for the regulation of the practice of these non-conventional therapies. In addition, that the practice of non-conventional therapies be controlled and accredited by the Health Ministry while the education and the certification of degrees and diplomas for the practice of the therapies be controlled by the Ministry of Education and Science and Higher Education.
The law did not define criteria for practise and curriculum for CAM professionals. The statutory regulation for non-conventional practitioners states that in order for someone to practise a regulated therapy they have to be registered through the Government established system. Rules relating to qualifications and professional status, including procedure for accreditation, training and certification of non-conventional therapy professionals were to be implemented before the end of 2005. To date that has not happened.
Homeopathic medicines
Directive 2001/83/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Community code relating to medicinal products for human use, which includes homeopathic medicinal products, was transposed into national law and the new Portuguese Medicines Decree (Ministério da Saúde Decreto-Lei no. 176/2006 de 30 de Agosto) which came into force on 1 September 2006.
