National pilot program for TCM saves citizens millions

A national pilot program to tap into the potential of traditional Chinese medicine for improving the overall health of people at relatively low costs has yielded great outcomes as of late, said a health official on Friday.

The National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine announced in late 2021 that seven provincial-level regions were designated as demonstration zones for comprehensive reforms in TCM, covering sectors of service model, industrial development and quality supervision.

The seven regions are the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Shandong, Hunan, Guangdong and Sichuan as well as Shanghai.

Ouyang Bo, deputy director of the administration's department of general affairs, said during a news conference held in Linyi, Shandong province on Friday that these pilot programs have gained momentum and achieved great outcomes.

In Shandong province, concerted efforts have been made in improving its TCM management systems, expanding healthcare insurance coverage of TCM services and increasing the number of TCM clinics on the grassroots level, according to local officials.

Ma Lixin, director of the Health Commission of Shandong Province, said that the provincial government is the first in the country to set up a task force dedicated into discussing and overseeing the development of TCM.

"We have also required that at least 60 percent of TCM hospital administrators at or above the county level should be TCM specialists," she said.

Li Yuanzhi, an official at the Healthcare Security Bureau of Shandong Province, said that a series of medical insurance policies since 2020 are expected to save patients nearly 700 million yuan ($95.3 million) annually.

"In addition, we will launch a centralized procurement of 200 types of TCM medicines this year to offer high quality and affordable TCM services for the public," he said.

Zhang Xiuli, vice mayor of Linyi city, said that the city now has nearly 1,850 TCM-featured rural clinics, each of which is equipped with at least six types of TCM treatment equipment. About 3,350 rural doctors in the city are capable of carrying out at least four types of basic TCM therapies.

She added that Linyi has built 10 major TCM pharmacies that consolidate the dispense, decoction and delivery services of TCM prescriptions in its 133 communities and villages so as to address the lack of TCM decoction equipment at grassroots medical facilities.

"It is estimated that these major TCM pharmacies have so far saved local residents 8.8 million yuan," Zhang said.