Hong Kong’s first-ever Chinese medicine hospital — backed by a robust network of national and international partners— is set to become “a new engine” propelling traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) onto the global stage, the city’s health chief said on Tuesday.
The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong (CMHHK) – the city’s first Chinese medicine service-predominant hospital, which is still under construction – inked pacts on Tuesday with the University of Hong Kong (HKU), Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) to cooperate in hospital governance, clinical services, and talent training as well as scientific and clinical research.
The CMHHK will raise local Chinese medicine services beyond primary healthcare into secondary and tertiary healthcare, Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said at the agreements’ signing ceremony, lauding the hospital as “a major milestone”.
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The flagship institution, located at Pak Shing Kok in Tseung Kwan O, is slated to commence phased operations in December, with outpatient services launched first and inpatient treatment added in the second operational year.
To start with, services will span six major departments: Chinese internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, pediatrics, orthopedics and acupuncture.
With ambitions to help city grow into a global Chinese medicine leader, the hospital will first strengthen ties within the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), helping the region to form a comprehensive Chinese medicine hub for treatment, training, and scientific advancement, the hospital’s chief executive, Bian Zhaoxiang, promised.
As per the agreement, the institution will serve as a teaching hospital for the three universities with Chinese medicine-dedicated schools and programs, a move Lo described as “a new engine” for Chinese medicine’s innovative development in the city.
The hospital will bolster hands-on learning by providing local clinical training for students, complementing existing placements on the Chinese mainland.
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The three universities will be embedded in the hospital’s governance — with direct representation on its board to guide strategy — and will deploy experts to staff its clinics while collaborating with the hospital on pioneering medical research, particularly on integrated Chinese-Western treatments.
The institution will address a critical gap in Hong Kong’s Chinese medicine talent training, stressed Li Min, dean of the School of Chinese Medicine of Hong Kong Baptist University.
Currently, students rely solely on mainland placements or standalone, folk clinics for training, said Li. In future, CMHHK will provide a vast local platform for handling a wider array of complex cases, ensuring their clinical practices keep pace with modern medical developments, she added.
Contact the writer at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com
