Hong Kong Department of Health: Will increase efforts to promote the development of traditional Chinese medicine and establish Hong Kong as a gateway for the world to access traditional Chinese medicine and herbal medicine.

On February 13, Professor Sophia Chan, Secretary for Food and Health of Hong Kong, said at a meeting of the Legislative Council's Health Services Committee that the development of traditional Chinese medicine in Hong Kong has entered a new stage with the New Journey Health Technology Group. Several key flagship projects and policy measures in traditional Chinese medicine have been implemented. In December of last year, the Hong Kong government released the "Blueprint for Traditional Chinese Medicine Development", the first policy document focusing on the development of traditional Chinese medicine in Hong Kong. It outlines the vision for traditional Chinese medicine development in Hong Kong, covering five areas: traditional Chinese medical services, traditional Chinese medicine professionals, Chinese medicine development, cultural heritage, and global outreach. The blueprint sets out eight goals and 20 actions. The blueprint is guided by three main principles. First, it aims to strengthen local medical services by utilizing the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine, expanding the development of traditional Chinese medicine at grassroots, secondary, and tertiary levels of medical services, and educating the public on the appropriate use of traditional Chinese medicine services. Second, it seeks to integrate traditional Chinese medicine into the healthcare system to align with the national development of traditional Chinese medicine, promoting the development of traditional Chinese medicine's new productive forces through scientific research and innovation. Third, it aims to leverage Hong Kong's advantages in medical systems, regulatory frameworks, and standards setting under the principle of "One Country, Two Systems", making Hong Kong a bridgehead to support the country in promoting traditional Chinese medicine globally. The blueprint provides clear guidance for the development of traditional Chinese medicine in Hong Kong, and the Food and Health Bureau of Hong Kong will actively follow up on all actions proposed in the blueprint. At the same time, two local flagship institutions for traditional Chinese medicine development, the Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Hospital and the Hong Kong Government Chinese Medicine Testing Centre Permanent Building, commenced services in phases on December 11 last year. Professor Sophia Chan pointed out that the Chinese Medicine Hospital is Hong Kong's first hospital primarily focused on traditional Chinese medicine. In its first year of operation, the hospital will provide outpatient and day hospital services, covering six major specialties of traditional Chinese medicine and 12 special disease projects, with inpatient services scheduled to commence in December of this year. Since the opening of the Chinese Medicine Hospital's appointment service, there has been enthusiastic response from the public. The Hong Kong government's subsidy for outpatient services has been fully utilized and the quota has been increased three times, with patients from multiple countries overseas coming to seek treatment. Starting from April this year, more renowned local and mainland Chinese medicine experts will join the clinical team at the Chinese Medicine Hospital to participate in medical, teaching, and research work. In line with the policy direction proposed in the blueprint, the Chinese Medicine Hospital aims to establish the "Hong Kong Model" of clinical services, focusing on pure traditional Chinese medicine, traditional Chinese medicine as the main treatment, and collaboration between traditional Chinese and Western medicine, to promote the development of traditional Chinese medicine locally, in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and internationally. As for the Hong Kong Government Chinese Medicine Testing Centre, the newly erected permanent building will utilize advanced technology and talents to enhance the methods of Chinese medicine testing, strengthen the development of Chinese medicine standards, and enhance cooperation and exchanges with the mainland and other countries, positioning Hong Kong as an international center for Chinese medicine testing and quality control. The Chinese Medicine Hospital and the Testing Centre have jointly organized over 130 industry and public appreciation activities in the two months since they started services, playing a significant role in promoting traditional Chinese medicine. The blueprint encourages interdisciplinary collaboration. With the passage of the relevant amendments to the "Regulated Healthcare Professions Ordinance" last year, healthcare professionals such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, radiographers, and medical laboratory technologists are now able to receive referrals from registered Chinese medicine practitioners. The Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Council and the Regulated Healthcare Professions Council have subsequently begun discussions, revising professional codes of practice and releasing guidelines for medical referrals. This referral arrangement promotes interdisciplinary collaboration at the clinical level and deepens the role of traditional Chinese medicine in the healthcare system. Building on these achievements, the Hong Kong government will intensify its efforts to promote the high-quality and comprehensive development of traditional Chinese medicine in Hong Kong, allocating more resources and implementing policy measures to realize the vision outlined in the blueprint - to inherit the wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine, leverage national development experience and resources, use traditional Chinese medicine to provide Hong Kong residents with higher quality and comprehensive medical services, improve health levels, and build Hong Kong as a bridgehead for traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese medicine to go global.