PETALING JAYA, (Bernama) - The Malaysian Society for Complementary Medicine (MSCM) has voiced concern over the proposed Traditional and Complementary Medicine (TCM) Act, saying its enforcement would force practitioners without paper qualifications out of the practice.

MSCM president Dr Lee Chee Pheng said there was no ''grandfather clause'' in the bill allowing TCM practitioners without certificates to continue with their practice.

A grandfather clause is a situation in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations, while a new rule will apply to all future situations.

"The Health ministry should not ignore them as this group of people has learned the traditional method of treatment from their forefathers and they do not carry any paper qualifications.

"There are many practitioners in the traditional massage industry who are blind and are over 60. How could they be possibly undergo formal anatomy and physiology classes in order to get certified?" he told Bernama in an exclusive interview.

Lee said that if the government felt that it was ready to enforce the law, then the act should be implemented gradually over time so as to ensure that the transition of the qualified and ''non-qualified practitioners was equalled out, or it would impose a problem for the practitioners.

MSCM treasurer Julian Leicester said Health ministry officials should include the grandfather clause in the bill to protect the originality of TCM and the practitioners of their livelihood and career and that the laws governing the industry should not be ''threatening''.

He said there were many senior aged practitioners who had learnt the traditional method of treatment from their forefathers, and the Health Ministry should not ''kill them'' totally.

"The grandfather clause in the TCM Act is important to give the opportunity to the senior practitioners without qualification to upgrade themselves as this group of people will not be able to go to school to get certificates.

The TCM Bill 2012, which was tabled for first reading in the Dewan Rakyat on June 27, among others, requires all practitioners to be registered with the proposed TCM council.

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Society voices concern over proposed traditional medicine act