Mary Ann Benitez and Johnny Lo

Thursday, August 16, 2012

The development of Chinese medicine in the hope of making Hong Kong a herbal hub will not affect the progress of Western medicine, Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man insists.

This comes after the announcement that the public Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei will have at least 50 beds for integrated Chinese and Western medicine in-patient treatment when a two-phase HK$8 billion redevelopment project is completed by 2022.

But the three Hong Kong universities that have schools of Chinese medicine are seeking funds to join in a project to set up a Chinese medicine hospital before then, Ko noted yesterday.

That will not affect development of Western medicine, he said at an Eu Yan Sang Charitable Foundation function.

"On the contrary, the development of Chinese medicine hopefully may help in alleviating some pressure on our public hospital system on the Western medical side, in particular primary care and rehabilitation services."

Ko also told RTHK yesterday that he expects Chinese medicine to help people recovering from strokes, cancer and arthritis after receiving Western treatment and surgery.

He added that "organizations including local universities' schools of Chinese medicine, are raising funds to build a hospital focusing on Chinese medicine."

It is the right time to take Chinese medicine forward, Ko added. There is a legal framework for registration of practitioners and herbal products, and research at public hospitals continues.

Read more from the original source:

Chinese medicine enjoys another push