The Public Health Ministry is drafting a bill to regulate stem cell treatment to protect consumers from exaggerated claims and unethical procedures.
Speaking on Friday after a monthly meeting of ministry executives, Public Health Minister Rajata Rajatanavin said the ministry has been reviewing the stem cell draft bill to prevent consumers from receiving unproven and illicit treatments.
In Thailand, stem cell treatment is allowed only for the blood diseases leukaemia and thalassaemia. However, several clinics with unlicensed practitioners promote wild claims about stem cells to customers, Dr Rajata said.
The bill would also control the use of stem cells in research. It proposes revoking the licences of or penalising doctors who use human embryos for cloning, buy or sell them, or extract embryos or stem cells without licences.
The ministry has been recruiting specialists from various health agencies to help outline the details of the law. Public hearings will be conducted before bringing the draft before lawmakers.
Dr Rajata said the government is concerned about people's safety because stem cell treatment is new to the country and there is no specific law governing its application.
Boonruang Triruangworawat, director-general of the Department of Health Service Support, said 15 drafting committee members are studying stem cell-related laws enforced in the UK and Singapore as guidelines.
However, a law will take time because the bill has to pass several procedures. Therefore, a ministerial regulation will be issued ahead of the legislation.
Existing laws — the Medical Council of Thailand's regulations on Medical Ethics Preservation, the Sanatorium Act, the Drugs Act and the Medical Practitioner under the Medical Profession Act — will be compatible with the stem cell bill.
Information about stem cells will be published to raise awareness about what treatments may do — and what they cannot — to counter exaggerated adverts.
Stem cells are neutral cells with the potential to become any cell in the body. They can be used to repair deterioration of tissue as an alternative to organ transplants. Stem cells can be derived from an embryo after fertilisation up to 14 days, or from somatic cells such as bone marrow.