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flexibility that is available now for dis- to be solved immediately. The govern- been in practice for some years. Co-
cussions. If an NGO administers the ment’s role is to improve the situation operating with tripartite CMCTRs,
hospital, we can easily make amend- so that these issues do not resurface the Hospital Authority has launched
ments when we feel like something is at the Chinese med- i - the Integrated Chinese-Western Med-
not working well,” she says. cine hospital. icine Pilot Programme since 2014.
The problems Eligible patients can receive Chinese
Contribution of Chinese Medicine mainly revolve medicine treatments at designated
Centres for training and research around re- public hospitals. More importantly,
Despite having less ownership, Sun sources alloca- they serve as testing grounds to incor-
believes the government is still proac- tion,” says Sun. porate Chinese in-patient medicine
tive in the planning of the hospital. and explore plausible clinical frame-
She says the government has taken Sun Siu-yan works for the future hospital.
reference from its previous experi- However, Professor Joseph Lee
ence in running the public Chinese Collaboration of Chinese and West- Kok-long, legislative councillor for
Medicine Centres for Training and ern medicine in the hospital the health services functional con-
Research (CMCTR). Other than ownership, another stituency, stresses that the new hos-
Based on the information of Leg- controversy lies in the adoption of an pital “should be
islative Council papers, CMCTR op- Integrated Chinese-Western Medi- a purely Chi-
erate on a tripartite collaboration cine service model. Western medical nese medicine
model, which involves the Hospital equipment and treatment have always practitioner-
Authority, NGOs, and local universi- been crucial for curing acute cases operated hos-
ties. NGOs are responsible for daily and complex illnesses. Due to existing pital”. When
operations of the centres. There is one legal regulations, Chinese medicine discussing the
CMCTR in each of the 18 districts in practitioners are forbidden to carry handling of se-
Hong Kong. out Western medical procedures. vere illnesses, he
Joseph
“The government has acknowl- In fact, the collaboration between believes acute cases Lee Kok-long
edged problems in CMCTRs that need Chinese and Western medicine has should not be han-

Legislative Council Panel on Health Services discussion on the development of Chinese medicine hospital

Sources: Legislative Council Papers CB(2)1020/13-14(05), CB(2)1616/14-15(01), CB(2)1258/17-18(01), CB(2)13/18-19(01),
CB(2)13/18-19(01)