Text: Lee Yuk Yin
Photos: Hon Wing Hei
Traditional Chinese medical knowledge is an important part of Chinese culture. In Hong Kong, however, it just remained as Chinese folk medicine for a long-time, rejecting from western medicine led health care system until 1997.
The president of Hong Kong Chinese Herbalists Association Chiyee Kwan said, and during over
150-year colonial era, Chinese medicine industry was basically“run its own course”. The return of 1997 opens a new era for this oldest medicine.
In 1999, the HKSAR through formal legislation, “the Chinese Medicine Ordinance,”recognized the professional status of TCM practitioners in the law; and relevant subsidiary legislation also came to pass, including the establishment of the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong. TCM profession began to develop, attracting many young people to join.
The latest figures of the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong show that there were about 6,944 registered TCM practitioners and 2,694 listed TCM practitioners in Hong Kong. The number had increased steadily.
Former Hong Kong Chief Executive Chee-hwa Tung made the developing plan for Chinese medicine, intending to promote the development of TCM in Hong Kong. Although the plan was eventually canceled, Chiyee Kwan believed that the plan has a far-reaching impact for the development of TCM industry historically.
After 1997, the Government of HKSAR began to develop and standardize TCM including allocating funds to Hong Kong University, Chinese University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Baptist University to offer courses in TCM. Learning patterns for would-be practition in
TCM are changed from “learnt with the master”, or amateur training methods in the past to high-level professional education now.
The way-out given the situation of TCM in Hong Kong has been improving. For example, many young people join this profession.
TCM practitioner Yuhoi Leung said that in addition to the traditional herbal medicine soup now, there were compound herbal pills, tablets, powder and capsules. He further explained, although the traditional herbal medicine had its advantages, it could not adapt to the rapid pace of life in modern city.
Meanwhile, the Chinese pharmaceutical industry has developed rapidly. The technical instructor
Zhenhai Cheung, the School of Chinese Medicine Teaching and Research Department at Hong Kong Baptist University, pointed out that changes in the Chinese pharmaceutical industry after 1997 are varied indeed. He described the change is as from zero to exist. However, he believed“there is a change to the better.”
He also pointed out that the current medical students in clinical practice were not perfect in facilities. For example, there is no hospital for TCM in Hong Kong. Due to lack of clinical base, most students have to do their clinical internship in the mainland.
In addition, Cheung said that the registration system for local TCM graduates had room to improve.
Students from thirty institutions of TCM in Mainland China are allocated to come to Hong Kong siting for the same test for practicing TCM in Hong Kong. This lead to a more comparative competition for local ones.
Therefore, he said the local authorities needs to consider the local health care market and whether Hong Kong could hold more graduates into the industry.
Given that not belong to the public health care system, these clinics are not linked with the public sector remuneration system, and most employers are underpaid. The current monthly salary of graduates in traditional Chinese medicine is ranging from about $ 17,000 to $18,000. Compared to other jobs within the Hospital Authority system, such as nurses and pharmacists, above remuneration is low.
