Hong Kong to Promote Chinese Medicine

Hong Kong plans to set up Chinese medicine clinics at public hospitals to provide a wider range of inexpensive medical services, especially to the elderly.

In response to public demand, the government promised in 2001 to include Chinese medicine under the public health sector, but it has only set up three such clinics so far, the South China Morning Post reported Friday.

Dr. Ko Wing-man of the Hospital Authority said the establishment of the clinics had been delayed partly due to last year’s outbreak of SARS. He said the plan needed more work, but would be ready within a matter of months.

Ko was speaking following a forum on the integration of Chinese and Western medicine at Hong Kong Baptist University Thursday.

Chen Keji of the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine said at the forum that in mainland China doctors practiced a combination of treatments, but that preference was given to Chinese medicine.

He said doctors should exhaust all methods of Chinese medicine before trying Western medicine on a patient.