Lai touts traditional medicine in Taipei

EAST MEETS WEST:
ICOM’s theme this year is using scientific evidence and ‘big data’ to support traditional medicine and integrating it with Western medicine, Lai said

• By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

The government included traditional Chinese herbal medicine in the government’s Healthy Taiwan Sprout Project this year, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that he hopes it would continue to play an important role in the healthcare system and managing chronic diseases.

Traditional Chinese herbal medicine is deeply integrated into the lives of Taiwanese and has great potential for development, Lai said at the 21st International Congress of Oriental Medicine (ICOM) in Taipei.

Chingguan Yihau (清冠一號), a locally developed traditional herbal formula for treating COVID-19, has helped people in more than 60 countries during the pandemic, demonstrating Taiwan’s advanced traditional herbal medicine, he said.

Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times

Lai said it was an honor for Taiwan to host the conference on ICOM’s 50th anniversary, thanking the organization, its Taiwan chapter and the National Union of Chinese Medical Doctors’ Association ROC for organizing the event.

This year’s theme, “Traditional Medicine: From Evidence-based to Integrative Medicine,” is aimed at using scientific evidence and “big data” to support traditional medicine’s treatment models and integrate it with Western medicine, he said.

The theme and goals allow traditional medicine to continue being innovative and keep up with the times, and coincide with the efforts in Taiwan’s traditional medicine field, he said.

The government values the development of traditional medicine and has enacted the Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy Development Act (中醫藥發展法), to enhance traditional Chinese medicine education, training and hospital accreditation system, Lai said.

Some traditional Chinese medicine treatments are covered by the National Health Insurance, and traditional Chinese herbal medicine has been included in the Healthy Taiwan Sprout Project this year, he added.

In the post-pandemic era and facing the challenges of an aging society, Lai said he hopes Taiwan’s traditional Chinese herbal medicine practitioners would continue to contribute to community healthcare and engage in chronic disease management and long-term care services, and together with Western medicine, provide more comprehensive integrated healthcare.

Taiwan would continue to invest resources in the development of traditional medicine, and the government hopes to cooperate with other countries to make greater global contributions in the field, he said.

For example, Lai said he had taken Chingguan Yihau when he contracted COVID-19 and he personally experienced the effectiveness of the locally produced herbal medicine formula, adding that it not only helped people in Taiwan, but was also supplied to more than 60 countries worldwide.