Letters | Coronavirus pandemic should inspire Hong Kong to support Chinese medicine

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A traditional Chinese medicine practitioner advises a client in Hong Kong. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:00am, 11 Oct 2020Updated: 8:00am, 11 Oct 2020

Chinese medicine is an intangible cultural heritage of China, which has a history of 5,000 years. In 2010, Unesco listed Chinese medicine acupuncture as an intangible cultural heritage. Supporting the development of Chinese medicine with more resources or integrating it into the mainstream medical system will help it survive for generations to come (“How traditional Chinese medicine is helping to fight Covid-19”, September 24).

Chinese medicine, being holistic and immunity strengthening, could also compensate for the weaknesses of Western medicine, particularly treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy, which induce toxic side effects. Though integrating Chinese and Western medicine inpatient services is not common in Hong Kong, the creation of a viable model for cooperation among medical practitioners from both streams, sharing patient records and designing therapy, is worth considering.

The Hong Kong government should further enhance the quality of Chinese medical practitioners by supporting the teaching, clinical practice and scientific research of the schools of Chinese medicine at the three local universities. The establishment of a Chinese medicine hospital will also allow students to gain practical experience in Hong Kong instead of on the mainland where they face a language barrier.

Moreover, to ensure the safety and quality of Chinese medicines from the perspective of consumers’ rights, the government should promote good manufacturing practices for proprietary Chinese medicines. Accreditation and the establishment of standards for drug manufacturers would encourage the production of safe products of consistent quality.

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Government Chinese medicine testing institutes could be established to provide references for the trade, in line with international standards. This would help increase public confidence worldwide in this form of medicine.