Boards and Committees
2018 Policy Address
(Paragraphs on development of Chinese medicine)
(VI.) Improving People’s Livelihood
Healthcare Services
Positioning and Development of Chinese Medicine
189. Chinese medicine is widely used among Hong Kong people. Over the years, the Chinese medicine sector has urged that a holistic Chinese medicine policy be formulated. I have pledged in my Policy Address last year that the Government would strive to promote the development of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong so that it would assume a more prominent role in promoting public health. Over the past year, the Chinese Medicine Hospital Project Office and the Chinese Medicine Unit, a dedicated unit responsible for overseeing the development of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong, have been established in FHB. Both teams have worked closely with the Chinese medicine sector, and the Executive Council has confirmed the positioning of Chinese medicine in the development of medical services in Hong Kong.
190. Through government subsidising defined Chinese medicine services, Chinese medicine will be incorporated into the healthcare system in Hong Kong. These services include:
| (i) | a combination of government-subsidised in-patient and out‑patient services offered by the future Chinese medicine hospital; |
| (ii) | government-subsidised out-patient services offered by the 18 Chinese medicine Centres for Training and Research at the district level; and |
| (iii) | government-subsidised in-patient services providing Integrated Chinese-Western Medicine treatment in defined public hospitals, in consultation with the HA. |
191. Furthermore, a dedicated fund with $500 million has been established for promoting Chinese medicine development. Administered by the Chinese Medicine Unit under FHB, the fund would provide support in areas such as applied research, Chinese medicine specialisation, knowledge exchange and cross-market co-operation, and assist local Chinese medicine traders with the production and registration of proprietary Chinese medicine. The dedicated fund will commence operation in the first half of 2019.
192. Following confirmation of the positioning of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong’s medical services, we will introduce Chinese medicine as part of the civil service medical benefits. The CSB will explore which form to take in providing Chinese medicine services for civil service eligible persons, having regard to the existing mode of operation of different components of the civil service medical benefits and resources consideration.