C.Y. Leung announces task force to 'advance' Chinese medicine

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's ambitious plans to develop the city's traditional Chinese medicine industry took a step forward yesterday with the appointment of a task force to help bring the idea to fruition.

Leung wants the government's involvement in the industry to go beyond regulation and include promotion of traditional Chinese medicine and research on it.

The task force, to be chaired by the health minister Dr Ho Wing-man, will lay the foundations for a Chinese Medicine Development Committee.

"Since 1999 when the government established a complete Chinese medicine practitioner monitoring system, [monitoring has been done]," Leung said yesterday at a visit to a Chinese medicine clinic and training centre in Wan Chai.

"It is time, now our monitoring measures are established, for us to also think about how to advance the development of [Chinese medicine], not just monitor it," he said.

Each year, one millions patients consult the 16 Chinese medicine clinics run by the Hospital Authority, a sign that the service has been well received, Leung added.