The Government will conduct a study on establishing an accreditation mechanism for Chinese pharmacists as suggested in the Ombudsman's report.

Responding to the report today, the Food & Health Bureau and the Department of Health acknowledged that there is room for improvement on the regulation of proprietary Chinese medicine, adding that they will follow up on the report’s recommendations.

The bureau said improvement measures are underway, including providing support to the trade through the $500 million Chinese Medicine Development Fund.

It is amending the definition of proprietary Chinese medicine under the Chinese Medicine Ordinance, and plans to brief the Legislative Council on the amendment proposals next year.

The Government said it has been providing technical support in recent years, significantly improving the progress of proprietary Chinese medicine registration since the system was implemented in 2003.

It will continue to explore ways to further expedite the registration process, including providing a subsidy to the trade through the fund to help them acquire the necessary technical support and testing service to complete the formal registration requirements as soon as possible.