Kingston and Richmond Health Authority set aside £36,000 in its budget last year for homeopathy. The budget was slashed to £5,000 this year after the health authority said there was insufficient demand for homeopathic medi-cines.
A petition signed by more than 350 people was presented to Dr Tonge, calling for an increase in the availability of homeopathy on the NHS.
Petition organiser Emma Lee said there was widespread support for the use of homeopathic remedies to treat conditions, including allergies, arthritis and asthma.
She said the problem was that many people were unable to access homeopathy through the NHS.
Dr Tonge has now written to the Health Secretary Alan Milburn to ask him to clarify the Government's position on the provision of homeopathic medicines on the NHS.
She said: "There is a great deal of demand in this area for homeopathic medicine and it is time it was properly evaluated, and provision made for those patients who need it."
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