April 4, 2022
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government should bring traditional Chinese medicine practitioners into the city’s medical system to show the role TCM deserves in protecting public health, said Tong Xiaolin, leader of a team of Chinese mainland Chinese medicine experts visiting the SAR.
“TCM’s role should not be confined to just emergency medical cases. It should be extensively applied in routine medical cases,” said Tong, who is heading a group of Chinese medicine experts helping Hong Kong to combat the current fifth and most serious wave of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“The SAR authorities should eliminate restrictions in policy and technical aspects so as to set up long-term and effective mechanisms,” Tong said in a media interview on Saturday. To implement the ultimate goal of realizing Hong Kong’s “three reductions” — in COVID-19 infections, severe cases and the mortality rate — he said the goal should be accompanied by the principle of “three easies” — easy to learn, easy to practice and easy to acquire.
TCM’s role should not be confined to just emergency medical cases. It should be extensively applied in routine medical cases.
Tong Xiaolin, academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and head researcher of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences
“As the government starts distributing anti-pandemic kits containing TCM to millions of Hong Kong households, it should educate residents on how to choose and take TCM appropriately as some COVID-19 patients cannot tell the difference between their condition and physique,” said Tong.
Standardized schemes should also be established to train TCM practitioners in Hong Kong. They should explore finer ways of enabling COVID-19 patients to selfisolate at home, and helping those who want to take TCM to strengthen their immunological defenses against the virus, Tong added.
Tong, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and head researcher of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, explained that applying TCM in Hong Kong in COVID-19 prevention aspects is not extensive. In the rehabilitation process, TCM has produced good results. Therefore, the next step should be to promote the application of Chinese medicine for the whole process of COVID-19.
“The trend is combining TCM with Western medicines. TCM focuses on the holistic regulation of the body, while Western medicine is more concerned with the results of treatment,” he noted.
COVID-19 patients can take TCM along with two types of Western oral medications in curing the disease so that TCM and Western medicine can produce complementary effects, provided patients have a sufficient time lap between taking TCM and Western medicine in order to avoid adverse complications, Tong suggested.
He hoped Hong Kong hospitals will consider applying acupuncture as it has been proven that acupuncture can treat headache, insomnia and loss of appetite associated with COVID-19 patients’ rehabilitation process.
Tong’s 7-member team of Chinese medicine experts arrived in Hong Kong on Wednesday to exchange views with local TCM practitioners on how to leverage TCM in cutting down COVID-19- related infections, severe cases and deaths.
With the support of the SAR government, the experts visited many places such as designated hospitals, infection control centers, COVID-19 treatment centers, temporary care centers, residential care homes for the elderly, Chinese medicine clinics, teaching and research centers, and community treatment centers. On this basis, the experts have a comprehensive understanding of theSAR’s current work and effectiveness in combating COVID-19