Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ3: Development of Chinese Medicine services
Following is a question by the Dr Hon Chiang Lai-wan and a reply by the
Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, in the Legislative Council
today (December 6):
Question:
At present, there are 18 Chinese Medicine Centres for Training and Research
(CMCs) in the territory, which are operated under a tripartite model involving
the Hospital Authority, non-governmental organisations and local universities,
providing Chinese medicine services to members of the public. Some members of
the public have pointed out that as such centres have to operate on a
self-financing basis, their service charges are far higher than those for the
publicly funded western medicine services in the public sector. Regarding the
development of Chinese medicine services, will the Government inform this
Council:
(1) of the respective current average daily consultation quota, numbers of
patient attendances and utilisation rates of the aforesaid 18 CMCs; whether it
has assessed if the relevant services are sufficient to meet the demand; if it
has assessed, of the outcome, and whether it will establish additional CMCs in
response to local demand; if it will not, of the reasons for that;
(2) whether it will consider providing the 18 CMCs and the Chinese medicine
hospital to be commissioned in the future with the same level of funding support
as that for western medicine services, so as to relieve the financial burden of
members of the public receiving Chinese medicine services and, by eliminating
the fee gap, alleviate the pressure on western medicine services in the public
sector; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3) given that at present, Chinese and western medicine practitioners and
pharmacists are required to undergo professional training and registration
before they may practise, whether the authorities will establish professional
training and registration systems for Chinese medicine dispensers; if so, of the
details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Chief Executive has put forward a number of policy initiatives related to
Chinese medicine in her Policy Address announced in October. These include
enhancing training for Chinese medicine practitioners to foster their
professional development, reviewing the remuneration package and promotion
opportunities for staff employed at all levels in the Chinese Medicine Centre
for Training and Research (CMCTR) in the 18 districts with a view to attracting
more talents to join the Chinese medicine sector and setting up a dedicated unit
under the Food and Health Bureau (FHB) to oversee Chinese medicine development
and assist in co-ordinating and implementing the strategies and measures for
promoting the Chinese medicine development in Hong Kong.
In consultation with the Department of Health and the Hospital Authority (HA), I
provide a consolidated reply to the three parts of the question as follows:
(1) To promote the development of "evidence-based" Chinese medicine and provide
training placements for graduates of local Chinese medicine bachelor degree
programmes, the Government set up in phases one CMCTR in each of the 18
districts and the NGOs are responsible for the day-to-day operation of the
CMCTRs (Note 1). Currently, the 18 CMCTRs provide a total of 216 training places
for graduates concerned. Besides, CMCTRs serve as a platform to take forward the
Integrated Chinese-Western Medicine Pilot Programme which enables patients of
the HA to receive Chinese and Western medicine treatments at the same time.
The services provided by the CMCTRs are not part of the regular services of the
HA. Currently, each CMCTR is required to provide no less than 60 000
consultations per year (Note 2). In 2016, the total number of attendances at the
18 CMCTRs exceeded 1 160 000. The Government considers that the CMCTR has
effectively achieved its purposes. Apart from the CMCTRs, there are a number of
Chinese medicine clinics, run by NGOs and universities, providing
reasonably-charged Chinese medicine services. The Government does not have any
plan to increase the service of CMCTRs.
(2) As mentioned above, the objectives of CMCTRs and the public general
out-patient clinics under the HA are different. Since the establishment of the
first CMCTR in 2003, the standard fee for Chinese medicine general consultation
service has been maintained at $120 (including consultation fee and two doses of
Chinese medicines) without any change, while the fees for other Chinese medicine
services (such as acupuncture and tui-na) provided by the CMCTRs are determined
by the NGOs concerned. Each CMCTR is required to set aside at least 20% of the
attendance quota of the Chinese medicine general consultation service for
recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance, who can receive the
service with the fee of $120 waived. Besides, individual CMCTR run by NGO also
provides discounts for different groups of people (such as the elderly). We are
of the view that the above-mentioned measures can help maintain a reasonable fee
level for the public.
As for the development of Chinese medicine hospital, the Government is actively
planning for the construction of the first Chinese medicine hospital at a site
in Tseung Kwan O. This would be the major initiative for the development of
Chinese medicine. The Government is commissioning an international consultant
through the HA to consult local stakeholders and overseas experts about the
management models of the Chinese medicine hospital so as to help the Government
formulate feasible and optimal operating conditions for the Chinese medicine
hospital, thus facilitating the tendering exercise in future. The Government
will announce the positioning and the framework of development in major areas of
the Chinese medicine hospital in the first half of 2018. In deciding the
positioning of the hospital, we need to consider the impact of various
development models, including service positioning and financial arrangements, on
the future development of the hospital. This is to ensure the sustainable
provision of quality Chinese medicine services by the hospital for the public
and to promote the development of Chinese medicine in an effective manner.
(3) At present, no registration system has been established for persons who
engage in the dispensing of Chinese herbal medicines (Chms) in Hong Kong.
However, according to the Chinese Medicine Ordinance (Cap. 549) and its
subsidiary legislation, the Chinese Medicines Regulation (Cap. 549F), Chm
retailers engaged in the dispensing of Chms should nominate a person responsible
for supervision of the work (responsible person). The retailers should also
nominate not more than two deputies, one of whom shall act in the absence of
that responsible person in accordance with the requirements specified in
Schedule 1 of the Chinese Medicines Regulation (please refer to Annex for
details).
In addition to the above requirements, the Chinese Medicines Board under the
Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong has drawn up the Practising Guidelines for
Retailers of Chinese Herbal Medicines to ensure that the persons engaged in the
trade of Chinese medicines have the knowledge of Chms and their preparation. The
Guidelines also set out the criteria for the trade to fulfil with regard to the
dispensing of Chms (including verification of prescriptions, preparation,
cross-checking, packaging and dispatching medicines).
The Chinese Medicine Unit to be set up under the FHB will widely consult the
Chinese medicine sector, including the Chinese medicines industry, on the
professional development of the sector, with a view to setting the course of
development suitable for the industries concerned.
Note 1: The CMCTRs operate under a tripartite collaboration model involving the
HA, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local universities offering
undergraduate courses in Chinese medicine (i.e. the Hong Kong Baptist
University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Hong
Kong).
Note 2: No less than 30 000 should be Chinese medicine general consultations and
the remaining ones can be consultations on other Chinese medicine services such
as acupuncture and tui-na.
Ends/Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Issued at HKT 15:55
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LCQ3 Annex