Taiwan ramps up efforts to promote Chinese medicine

台灣大力推廣中藥

An act pending legislative approval will provide basis for developing Chinese medicine-based drug rehab services

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A regulation governing the development of Chinese medicine in Taiwan was passed by the Executive Yuan on Thursday (Nov. 14), which lays the groundwork to promote a herbal medicine-based regimen for drug abstinence.

The draft for the Chinese Medicine Development Act stipulates the authorities must devise a development plan for the traditional medical practice every five years. A research fund should be established and incentives should be provided to encourage development of pharmaceutical drugs incorporating herbal plants, reported CNA.

The law also seeks to boost the role of alternative medicine in universal health care. This includes preventive medicine, domestic medicine, and an integrated approach toward combining Chinese and Western medicine.

Acupuncture, die-da (bone-setting and osteopathy), and a Chinese medicine-based regimen to treat substance abuse are some of the practices that merit promotion, wrote the report.

Promoting modern and traditional medical research and development adheres to the principles of the Constitution and World Health Organization guidelines, said Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌). A NT$670 million (US$22 million) budget has been allocated for the project over a span of four years, CNA quoted him as saying.