Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau today chaired the joint meeting of the Chinese Medicine Development Committee and its three subcommittees to discuss the formulation of the Chinese Medicine Development Blueprint, the commissioning of the Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong (CMHHK) and the permanent premises of the Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute (GCMTI).

The three subcommittees cover Chinese medicine practice, the Chinese medicines industry and the Chinese medicine development blueprint.

Prof Lo said that 2025 is a notable year for Chinese medicine in Hong Kong, signifying more breakthroughs, reforms and opportunities for its development in the city.

“We will publish Hong Kong's first blueprint by the end of this year. The two flagship institutions for Chinese medicine development, namely CMHHK and the permanent premises of the GCMTI, will also commence services in phases starting from December this year."

Preparations for the commissioning of the hospital and the permanent premises of the institute are in full swing. Both will be conducive to Hong Kong's further development in areas such as Chinese medicine clinical services, talent training, and testing standards.

In the first year, the hospital will provide out-patient and day-patient services, and will roll out Chinese medicine services for special diseases including degenerative diseases, stroke rehabilitation and other common diseases among the elderly.

During the meeting, relevant departments and organisations briefed the committee members on the progress of other major Chinese medicine policy initiatives outlined in the 2025 Policy Address.

They include the promotion of the sharing of electronic health records in the Chinese medicine sector through eHealth, advancing the integrated Chinese-Western medicine services, and hosting the Greater Bay Area Conference on Inheritance, Innovation & Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine in December this year.

Noting that the Chief Executive put forward a number of policy initiatives on Chinese medicine in his Policy Address, Prof Lo said the Government will press ahead with the high-quality and high-standard development of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong on all fronts.