Since the return of Hong Kong in 1997, under the guidance of the Basic Law, the government has legislated to confirm the legal status of Chinese medicine. Three local universities have offered five-year full-time Chinese medicine courses to cultivate regular Chinese medicine talents. For 25 years, modern Chinese medicine talents have emerged in large numbers, and universities have even set up online courses. To promote the extensive and profound Chinese medicine overseas, however, some people in the industry criticized that the status of Chinese medicine in the public sector is still low, and "there is not a single Chinese medicine practitioner" in the HA. How can we promote the development or even "mainstreaming" of Chinese medicine?
This is the fifth thematic series on "Chinese Medicine in the World"
The "Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014-2023" released by the WHO in 2012 stated that there is a strong global demand for research and training in traditional Chinese medicine. Taking acupuncture as an example, 80% of the surveyed member states indicated that their domestic medical services approved the use of acupuncture; There are still insufficient international platforms for distributing Chinese medicine research data, related information or providing training, hindering the development of Chinese medicine services.
In order to strengthen the basic knowledge of Chinese medicine for overseas public and medical staff, the Chinese University of Hong Kong Chinese and Western medicine team established an English Chinese medicine course on Coursera, a large online course platform, in September 2017.
Over the past five years, more than 47,000 people have registered for the class, mainly from the United States, Canada and India.
CUHK will upload the second course "Everyday Chinese Medicine 2" in 2019, which mainly introduces Chinese medicine, acupuncture, Chinese medicine health preservation (including diet therapy, Baduanjin, etc.) and integrated Chinese and Western medicine. Nearly 6,800 people have registered so far.
Professor Zhong Zhihao, Director of the Development Department of the Faculty of Chinese Medicine, CUHK, who is in charge of the course, admitted to Hong Kong 01: "It is difficult to teach the theory of Chinese medicine in English, so it is not available in many places, and there are few similar courses in the market."
In 2017, CUHK launched the English-language online Chinese medicine course "Everyday Chinese Medicine".
(Coursera)
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The purpose of holding English online classes is to promote Chinese medicine to the world, but it also points out the helplessness of the local Chinese medicine community.
Chung Chi-ho, who is also a member of the Chinese Medicine and Chinese Medicine Development Committee of the SAR Government, pointed out to the "Hong Kong 01" reporter that Article 138 of the Basic Law after 1997 has stipulated the policy for the future development of Chinese medicine: "One of its original intentions is to take advantage of Hong Kong's international status. To help Chinese medicine go global and achieve internationalization, but 25 years later, due to various historical reasons, there are still many areas that have not been done enough.”
Zhong Zhihao believes that since the handover, the development of Chinese medicine has been quite stagnant. Not only has Chinese medicine not been incorporated into the public medical system, but the number of undergraduate courses has also been reduced, and the related development feels worse and worse.
"We are now mainly focusing on research work, especially clinical research, because promoting Chinese medicine in Hong Kong cannot rely solely on teaching foreigners, but also on the development of Hong Kong itself." Zhong Zhihao added: "In addition to running online courses, universities must do more Clinical studies that can confirm the value and efficacy of TCM will make the public and Western medicine willing to adopt TCM.”
Today, acupuncture is the first-line treatment for pain in many foreign countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, but not in Hong Kong.
Zhong Zhihao said: "Western medicine clinics in Hong Kong recommend patients to take medicines, but medicines always have side effects, making it difficult to take them for a long time. On the contrary, acupuncture and moxibustion treatment is effective, but local Western medicine does not refer them." He believes that the problems faced by the development of traditional Chinese medicine today are: How to position in a medical system dominated by western medicine.
The second is to act as a bridge and divert patients to traditional Chinese medicine.
Zhong Zhihao said: "We have been saying that there are not enough medical resources and doctors in Hong Kong. There are often long queues in specialist outpatient clinics, but they will not find Chinese medicine for help. This is where Hong Kong needs to work hard. Whether it is the university or the government, this is the first priority. If you don't do things, you can't talk about going out of the world."
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Professor Zhong Zhihao pointed out that it is necessary to conduct more clinical studies that can prove the value and efficacy of TCM, so that the public and Western medicine are willing to adopt TCM.
(provided by respondents)
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In recent years, although the SAR government and even the central government have taken many measures to promote the development of traditional Chinese medicine, such as the construction of traditional Chinese medicine hospitals, and mainland Chinese medicine groups coming to Hong Kong to help fight the epidemic.
However, Zhong Zhihao believes that every government also "supports traditional Chinese medicine". The problem is that the policy cannot be implemented and implemented.
In addition, the Hospital Authority is full of Western medicine, while local Chinese medicine practitioners are mostly private clinics. Instead, the three universities (HKU, CUHK, and HKBU), the Jockey Club and Tung Wah Group of Hospitals vigorously promote the provision of Chinese medicine treatment services to the private sector.
Chung Chi-ho also criticized that there is currently only one Chinese Medicine Department in the HA, but the department is not very staffed.
"The Director of the Chinese Medicine Division is an Administrative Officer (AO), and he doesn't understand Chinese medicine. It is difficult to develop Chinese medicine when there is neither a blueprint nor how to proceed." He complained, "After 25 years of return, Chinese medicine I am not one of my own in Hong Kong. There is not even a single Chinese medicine practitioner in the HA, and they are all outsourced. How can this be developed into Chinese medicine?”
Zhong Zhihao suggested that we can take advantage of the epidemic to promote more public-private cooperation between Chinese and Western medicine, such as for the new crown and long-term new crown sequelae, "so that these patients can go to 18 Chinese medicine clinics, or they can go to other private Chinese medicine clinics through plans. To develop Chinese medicine.”
The development of traditional Chinese medicine cannot rely solely on the private market and universities. The overall planning, coordination and data analysis of government departments are indispensable, including how to refer Chinese and Western medicine to each other.
"This needs to be done by the Medical and Health Bureau, and the university will help with the design, evaluation and testing, so as to demonstrate how to develop traditional Chinese medicine in a medical system dominated by Western medicine, and solve the medical burden in the long run."
The role of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong needs to be strengthened.
(Getty)
2024 is the "deadline"?
Legislative Council member (health care functional constituency) Dr. Lam Chee-xuan also agrees that the development of local Chinese medicine is very slow: "In particular, the development of primary medical care is really late. Go back to the mainland for medical treatment.”
Since taking office for more than nine months, Lin Zhexuan has met with the Chinese medicine community from time to time to discuss issues such as industry development and collaboration between Chinese and Western medicine.
He believes that Hong Kong has certain advantages in the development of Chinese medicine. First of all, we have both Chinese and Western medicine, and most people are used to seeing both.
"Another advantage is that both Chinese and Western medicine routinely use evidence-based medicine* to develop our medical services. What is currently lacking is how Chinese and Western medicine can work together to treat common diseases because of their large volume and impact on social health, such as high blood pressure. and diabetes.” Another advantage is Chinese medicine. Local Chinese patent medicine is internationally renowned, and quality certification and testing are also very advanced.
Hong Kong has the ability to do a fairly complete set of Chinese medicine testing and certification as one of the world standards.
Note*: Evidence-based medicine is a medical approach that emphasizes the use of well-designed and executed research evidence to optimize decision-making.
He also believes that the community currently lacks an online platform that allows both Chinese and Western medicine to view the same set of medical record data; in the hospital, in the future, Chinese medicine practitioners from each hospital should visit the room or discuss the disease together. I hope to see Chinese and Western medicine in the ward in the future We take care of patients together, and can initially target pain, cancer, stroke rehabilitation and other aspects.
In addition, strengthen TCM "preventive treatment" (ie, preventive treatment of Western medicine), fully open the Electronic Medical Record System (eHRSS) to TCM, and educate the general public about the role of TCM in the medical system.
Among them, talent is also a problem. "Now, for traditional Chinese medicine practitioners in public hospitals and the Department of Health, we all hope that their treatment can be improved. Not only in terms of salary, but also a promotion ladder, so as to retain talents."
In fact, there is not a lot of time left for Hong Kong. An important opportunity is when the first Chinese medicine hospital in Hong Kong will be completed and put into service in early 2025. However, at present, Chinese medicine practitioners in Hong Kong do not even have the legal effect of issuing death certificates.
Lin Zhexuan added: "How can we increase the recognition of Chinese medicine in the community, increase the services of public Chinese medicine practitioners, including general practice and branch clinics, and strengthen their role in treating diseases in the community." How will Hong Kong formulate relevant laws and regulations in the next two years , referral methods, and even determine how the TCM hospital operates?
There is a lot to do, and time is very tight.
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Dr. Lin Zhexuan emphasized that the next two years will be crucial for the development of traditional Chinese medicine in Hong Kong.
(File photo/Photo by Zheng Zifeng)
2024 is the "deadline" for the development of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong?
Legislative Council member (health care functional constituency) Dr. Lam Chee-xuan also agrees that the development of local Chinese medicine is very slow: "In particular, the development of primary medical care is really late. Go back to the mainland for medical treatment.” However, he said that the industry has handed over their hopes, ideas and policy research reports to the government for social discussion. As for when the government does what, it is up to them to take the lead.
Since taking office for more than nine months, Lin Zhexuan has met with the Chinese medicine community from time to time to discuss the development of Chinese medicine and the cooperation between Chinese and Western medicine.
In August this year, he and a member of the House of Representatives had a meeting with the Deputy Director of the Medical and Health Bureau, Li Xia-yin, and the Election Committee of the Chinese Medicine Sector. He hoped that the government could more actively integrate Chinese medicine into the medical system and promote Chinese medicine to have a wider range of prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. application and development.
He also held an all-night meeting with people from the fields of traditional Chinese medicine, nursing, and pharmacy, looking at the development of the entire medical and health field from a macro perspective, and then published a report, which included a special section on the development of traditional Chinese medicine.
Based on the discussions with the industry during this period, Lin Zhexuan pointed out to reporters that he believes that Hong Kong has certain advantages in the development of Chinese medicine. First of all, we have both Chinese and Western medicine, and most citizens are used to seeing both.
He emphasized, "Another advantage is that both Chinese and Western medicine routinely use
evidence-based medicine*
to develop our medical services. What is currently lacking is how Chinese and Western medicine can work together to treat common diseases because of its large volume and great impact on social health. , such as high blood pressure and diabetes.” Another advantage is Chinese medicine, local Chinese patent medicine is internationally renowned, and quality certification and testing are also very advanced.
Hong Kong can do a fairly complete set of Chinese medicine testing and certification as one of the world standards.
Note*: Evidence-based medicine is a medical approach that emphasizes the use of well-designed and executed research evidence to optimize decision-making.
Hong Kong needs to figure out how to develop Chinese medicine within two years?
(Getty)
Specifically, in addition to agreeing that more research needs to be done, Lin Zhexuan also needs to do more research. In terms of mechanism, the community and the hospital have their own needs.
Among them, he believes that the community currently lacks an online platform that allows both Chinese and Western medicine to view the same set of medical record data. In the future, it will be necessary to have a coordinator in each district. In the future, it may be organized by community health centers or by future grassroots medical management institutions. to carry out related work.
In terms of hospitals, in the future, TCM physicians from each hospital should visit the room or discuss the disease together. I hope to see TCM and Western doctors in the ward to take care of patients together in the future.
In the early stage, this can be the first to strengthen cooperation in pain, cancer treatment, stroke rehabilitation, etc., provided that the patient agrees.
In addition, strengthen TCM "preventive treatment" (ie, preventive treatment of Western medicine), fully open the Electronic Medical Record System (eHRSS) to TCM, and educate the general public about the role of TCM in the medical system.
Among them, talent is also a problem. "Now we hope that the treatment of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners in public hospitals and the Department of Health can be improved. Not only in terms of salary, but also a promotion ladder, so as to retain talents." He reiterated that it is impossible to The development of only one side must be the coordinated development of Chinese and Western medicine. In the future, the primary medical care in the community must be all professional medical and health personnel.
In fact, there is not much time left for Hong Kong. An important opportunity in front of us is the completion and operation of the first Chinese medicine hospital in Hong Kong in 2025.
Before that, we need to figure out how the hospital will operate, that is, determine how to develop traditional Chinese medicine before the end of 2024, so more than two years are critical.
From the less obvious role of traditional Chinese medicine in the community at present, it has been elevated to the level of the hospital and the community, which is the same as the central position of Western medicine.
Lin Zhexuan added: "How can we increase the recognition of TCM in the community, increase the services of public TCM, including general practice and branch clinics, and strengthen its role in treating diseases in the community."
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