East meets West: Health officials and medical experts gather in Hong Kong to discuss the application of international classifications of disease being used in Western medicine to traditional medicine.

Health officials and medical experts have gathered in Hong Kong to discuss the application of international classifications of disease being used in Western medicine to traditional medicine.

The two-and-a-half day meeting on development of traditional medicine modules for inclusion in the international classification of diseases was organised by the World Health Organisation and hosted by the Department of Health.

The classification has been used worldwide for general epidemiological, health-management purposes and clinical use.

Speaking at the opening ceremony today, Director of Health Dr PY Lam said the meeting will develop criteria and methods for the integration of traditional medicine into the health system.

"Traditional medicine is a significant part of healthcare and has become increasingly popular in its use worldwide. To facilitate integration of traditional medicine into the health system, it is hoped the meeting would develop criteria and methods for the WHO to further develop a special chapter on traditional medicine to the international classification of disease," Dr Lam said.