Traditional Chinese medicine could play a role in Healthier SG: Ong Ye Kung
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung speaking at the Public Free Clinic Society's 50th anniversary fund-raising dinner at Orchard Hotel on Oct 27
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners may in future partner Western doctors under an expanded Healthier SG programme. The Ministry of Health (MOH) is also exploring how to “carefully incorporate” certain TCM treatments into public clinics and hospitals, with patients able to get subsidies for such treatments, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Oct 27.
In a speech setting out his vision for the TCM sector, Mr Ong added that including such treatments in mainstream healthcare should be selective and based on evidence. “We should avoid the mindset or mentality of wholesale inclusion or wholesale rejection of TCM. That would be most unwise. This is a delicate process of trying to integrate and synergise between two fundamentally different systems, in origins and historical developments,” he said.
Research has also yielded “a lot of clinical evidence” on the efficacy of various TCM treatments, and these findings can be used to design experiments at public healthcare institutions that aim to achieve this synergy, he added. Speaking at the Public Free Clinic Society’s 50th anniversary celebration at Orchard Hotel, Mr Ong also elaborated on the role he envisions for TCM practitioners in Healthier SG, the national preventive healthcare scheme launched in July 2023. The scheme encourages people to register with a family clinic to take personalised steps towards better health.
MOH to 'synergise' efforts between TCM and Healthier SG: Ong Ye Kung
The Ministry of Health (MOH) is exploring the integration of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) into Singapore’s healthcare reform initiative Healthier SG.
MOH, together with TCM practitioners and general practitioners (GPs) will "work out the right models" and develop an expansion scheme for Healthier SG, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Sunday (Oct 27). Additionally, the Health Ministry is working with the TCM Practitioners Board (TCMPB) to launch an accreditation framework for TCM practitioners by 2026, he noted.
In his speech at the Public Free Clinic Society's 50th anniversary charity dinner, Mr Ong outlined three areas of development for TCM: Preventive care, synergies with mainstream healthcare system, as well as education and training:
- PREVENTIVE CARE - TCM takes a holistic approach to health and focuses strongly on preventive care.
- SYNERGIES WITH MAINSTREAM HEALTHCARE SYSTEM - Singapore must carefully incorporate certain TCM treatments into public clinics and hospitals, where they become eligible for support under our healthcare financing framework, such as subsidies and MediSave withdrawals.
- EDUCATION AND TRAINING - Mr Ong also touched on Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) undergraduate degree programme in Chinese medicine, which began this year.
Turning to TCM to boost your health? Here's what you should know
How are the bottled herbal drinks you buy at food courts and supermarkets different from the TCM remedies prescribed by certified physicians? Can you mix TCM with conventional meds?
With an ever-evolving COVID-19 situation on our hands, it is only natural that many of us are on the lookout for ways to boost our immune system and improve our odds of staying infection-free. Some turn to eating healthier and exercising more; others look to supplements or herbs – and that option includes traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
It's hardly surprising that Singaporeans are considering TCM. In a 2001 survey of 500 Singaporeans, 67 per cent already sought TCM treatments, according to a study published in the Singapore Medical Journal (SMJ). The same study also noted that "since 2004, hospitals in Singapore have been offering TCM services such as acupuncture and herbs to complement conventional medical treatment" – a sign that there is a demand for TCM.
In Singapore, the safety and quality of TCM medicines, which can be categorised into traditional medical materials (materials derived from plants, minerals or animals) or Chinese proprietary medicines (medicinal products in capsule, tablet or powder form) are regulated by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA).
Where does traditional Chinese medicine fit into Singapore’s healthcare reform plan?
Innovation and a change in mindset are needed if traditional Chinese medicine is to be accepted as mainstream medicine, says this industry practitioner
What goes through your mind when someone suggests you try traditional Chinese medicine to boost your immune system, or acupuncture to help ease your chronic pain? Do you picture a strong-smelling herbal shop with a man reading your pulse and looking at your tongue and think, “Thanks, but I’ll stick to my vitamins”? Or do you voice doubt on how needles instead of lab-tested Western medicine will be able to take away your pain?
Interest in TCM, which has been used for thousands of years to treat and prevent diseases, is undergoing a revival given the unique health challenges of the 21st century, the World Health Organization wrote in its Global Report on Traditional and Complementary Medicine 2019. More countries are also recognising the role of TCM in their national health systems, with around 100 member states having national policies on traditional medicine, it said.
In Singapore, about half of Singapore’s population has visited a TCM practitioner before, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in a speech at the World Conference on Acupuncture-Moxibustion on Nov 19. Despite the popularity of TCM, the reality is that traditional medicine is still not on par with Western medicine in terms of official recognition.
If TCM really works, why are some still sceptical about it?
About half of Singaporeans have visited a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner in the past
If you live in Singapore, there is a good chance you’ve encountered more than one style of medicine. You’ve most likely been to see a conventional medical doctor at a polyclinic or private hospital at least once in your life. There’s also a good chance you have also seen some kind of alternative or traditional medical practitioner.
In fact, about half of Singaporeans have visited a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner in the past, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in 2022. The Ministry of Health (MOH) is also looking at how TCM can play a role in Healthier SG’s preventive care initiative.
Singapore’s medical landscape is pluralistic and multicultural, just like its population. TCM and Western medicine have co-existed alongside one another for many years, yet they have never been fully integrated.
Why is Singapore embarking on Healthier SG and population health?
The WHO defines health not only as the absence of disease, but a state of physical, mental & social well-being
The Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on Mar 3 that all Singapore residents will receive S$20 worth of health points if they enrol in the voluntary Healthier SG programme and complete their first health consultation.
Healthier SG benefits such as free health screenings and vaccinations will commence in July, with enrolment starting for residents aged 60 and above.
Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung said on Mar 3 that Singapore will build a strong population health system through Healthier SG. The concept of population health - health for everyone in a defined population - is relatively new to Singapore and Southeast Asia. How does the concept translate to action and benefits for our citizens?
NTU to offer its own Chinese Medicine degree accredited by Health Ministry's TCM board
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) will offer its own undergraduate degree programme in Chinese medicine from 2024 that is designed for Singapore's healthcare needs. Currently, the university offers a double degree in biomedical sciences and Chinese medicine for those who wish to be traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners.
The degree in biomedical sciences is conferred by NTU, while the degree in Chinese medicine at the moment is conferred by the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. But from next year, there will be a new four-year degree programme designed with input from local TCM institutions and the Ministry of Health's (MOH) Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Board. It is the first locally conferred Chinese medicine undergraduate degree programme to be accredited by the ministry's TCM practitioners board, NTU and MOH announced on Wednesday (Nov 15).
The first cohort will join NTU’s School of Biological Sciences in August 2024. “NTU’s new Chinese medicine programme localises the context for students, allowing them to dive deeper into the TCM areas critical for Singapore and better equip them to tackle the nation’s health challenges and help relieve the load on our national healthcare infrastructure," said Professor Ling San, NTU's deputy president and provost.
Free TCM clinic opens in Punggol
Seu Teck Medical Institution (Punggol Branch) provides services such as consultation, dispensary services, acupuncture and therapeutic tuina massage
A new clinic providing free traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) services officially opened in Punggol on May 26.
Seu Teck Medical Institution (Punggol Branch) at Block 176A Edgefield Plains provides services such as consultation, dispensary services, acupuncture and therapeutic tuina massage. The clinic, which has been running since March, has two physicians.
This is the third free TCM clinic operated by Seu Teck Medical Institution, a charity managed by Bukit Timah Seu Teck Sean Tong Institution. The other two are in Jurong East and Clementi. All three clinics rely entirely on donations to sustain their operations.
Singapore Chung Hwa Medical Institution
To provide subsidised Traditional Chinese Medical treatment for the sick regardless of race and religion in Singapore. To aid the poor and the sickly, and thereby contribute to the cause of promoting hygiene and healthcare in Singapore. To upgrade therapeutic skills in medical treatment; and to promote and advance the application of Chinese medicine through academic research.
Over the years, SCHMI has been providing excellent and affordable TCM services to the general public. Currently, many elderly and needy patients receive 50% or full waiver on our TCM treatments. However, due to the increasing costs on Chinese herbs and other factors, SCHMI can only sustain 60% of the S$8 million yearly expenditure.
We need to rely on public donations to cover the balance 40% of the yearly expenditure. We seek your generosity to help our needy patients in their recovery. Yours contribution is a great motivation to both SCHMI and our needy patients.
Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence of effectiveness or logical mechanism of action.
Medicine in traditional China encompassed a range of sometimes competing health and healing practices, folk beliefs, literati theory and Confucian philosophy, herbal remedies, food, diet, exercise, medical specializations, and schools of thought. TCM as it exists today has been described as a largely 20th century invention. In the early twentieth century, Chinese cultural and political modernizers worked to eliminate traditional practices as backward and unscientific. Traditional practitioners then selected elements of philosophy and practice and organized them into what they called "Chinese medicine" (Chinese: 中医 Zhongyi).
In the 1950s, the Chinese government sought to revive traditional medicine (including legalizing previously banned practices) and sponsored the integration of TCM and Western medicine, and in the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, promoted TCM as inexpensive and popular. The creation of modern TCM was largely spearheaded by Mao Zedong, despite the fact he did not believe in its effectiveness. After the opening of relations between the United States and China after 1972, there was great interest in the West for what is now called traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).