AUSTRALIAN NATUROPATHIC NETWORK
 Serving the community since 1998

The following extracts are taken from the South Australian government's Medical Practitioners Act 1983.

We are still examining the Act for other relevant sections.

MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS ACT, 1983 - SECT 31

Restriction in relation to providing medical treatment

31. (1) No person may-

(a) provide-

(i) medical treatment of a prescribed kind; or

(ii) medical treatment of any kind in relation to a prescribed illness or disease; or

(b) recover a fee or other charge for medical treatment provided by him, unless he was, at the time at which he provided the treatment, a qualified person.

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to-

(a) medical treatment provided through the instrumentality of qualified persons at a hospital, nursing home or rest home by the person carrying on the business of the hospital, nursing home or rest home; or

(b) medical treatment provided through the instrumentality of a qualified person in prescribed circumstances.

(3) For the purposes of this section - "qualified person", in relation to medical treatment, means-

(a) a medical practitioner;

(b) a person authorized by an Act to provide that treatment; or

(c) a person registered under an Act as a person qualified to provide that treatment.

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"medical practitioner" means a person whose name is registered on the general register (whether or not it is also registered on the specialist register):

"medical treatment" includes all medical or surgical advice, attendances, services, procedures and operations:

All extracts are taken from the South Australian government's Medical Practitioners Act 1983.

Prescribed Illness

According to an article in The Natural Therapist (Legal Restrictions 1998;13(3)) prescribed illness or disease refers to the following:

• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Epilepsy
• Gonorrhoea
• Hepatitis B
• Poliomyelitis
• Syphilis
• Tuberculosis