First-ever law mulls introducing new qualification system in TCM

A clerk weighs traditional Chinese medicine in a Tongrentang pharmacy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in November, 2013. [Photo/China Daily]

China's first ever law on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) will help ensure sustainable development of the time-honored medical science by introducing a new vocational qualification system which is more in line with the experience-based nature of the practice.

The draft of the law covering TCM went through its first deliberation by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, on Monday.

According to the draft, TCM practitioners who learn from others instead of graduating from higher education institutions, would also be recognized by the health authority as lawful practitioners as long as they pass the vocational evaluation on their TCM skills and efficacy of the treatment.

The provincial TCM administrations will be in charge of organizing the evaluations and licensing those who pass the exams, it said.

To facilitate the development of TCM and improve public access to the services, licensed TCM practitioners are encouraged to open private practices. Instead of the current approval system, they will only need to get registered for the practice in the future.

The coming law aims primarily to deal with emerging problems and challenges facing the overall development of TCM in the country, such as limited service capacity and a lack of proper mechanisms for fostering talents and encouraging TCM practices.

Officials have been proposing laws on TCM since the early 1980s. However, TCM hasn't received wide recognition in more recent decades, which has stalled legislative efforts.

"We are hoping the law can help address problems hindering TCM's development, including how to better incorporate TCM into industrial chains," said Chen Qiguang, a research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.