A 29-year-old woman died on her way to hospital last night after collapsing during a visit to a Chinese medicine practitioner in Causeway Bay. The woman visited the practitioner on Jaffe Road where she reportedly received a naprapathy massage and acupuncture treatment. As the practitioner was pulling acupuncture needles from her feet, she reportedly had a seizure and passed out in the clinic at about 8.46pm. The clinic called an ambulance but a police spokesman said the woman was dead on arrival at Ruttonjee Hospital in Wan Chai. There was no indication that the treatment and collapse were connected. The practitioner, a 32-year-old man, said the woman was his friend and had consulted him previously, Chinese-language media reported. Police were investigating at the clinic early this morning. Health minister Dr Ko Wing-man described the woman’s death as "sudden and rare". Ko said that while acupuncture was relatively safe, people should stay vigilant when undergoing traditional Chinese medicine procedures. "People should make sure the acupuncture procedure is done by registered practitioners. [The practitioners] should also communicate with patients to see if they are ready for the treatment," Ko said. He said the case would be referred to the coroner’s office for further investigation. In 2000, an acupuncture patient at another Causeway Bay clinic died as a result of an air pressure problem that occurred as 1.5cm needles were being stuck into his chest in an attempt to cure a chronic lung disease.