Hong Kong has launched its first blueprint for the Chinese medicine sector’s development, with authorities seeking to raise the competence of practitioners and product standards as part of efforts to enhance the industry’s status.
The “Chinese Medicine Development Blueprint”, unveiled by the government on Thursday, covered five key categories: services, the profession itself, development areas, cultural inheritance, and going global.
It also outlines eight goals and 20 actions to promote the comprehensive and high-quality development of the sector.
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“The announcement of the blueprint presents an excellent opportunity to build upon the existing foundation of the development of Chinese medicine, look to the future and make comprehensive plans to further promote the comprehensive, high-quality and high-level development of Chinese medicine,” Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said.
“Our vision is to inherit the essence of Chinese medicine, uphold its principles while innovating, and leverage the experience and resources of our nation’s development to utilise Chinese medicine to enable Hong Kong residents to receive higher-quality and more comprehensive medical services, thereby improving their health.
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“We aim to build Hong Kong into a bridgehead for Chinese medicine to go global.”
Highlights from the blueprint include a plan to amend laws to strengthen the regulation of proprietary Chinese medicine products and setting up more defined clinical pathways for collaboration and referrals across different professions.