Furthering Cooperation In Traditional Chinese Medicine With The People’s Republic Of China

 1.       The Ministry of Health (MOH) will further its cooperation in the area of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), with the signing of the 6^th Plan of Cooperation (POC) in TCM with the PRC’s State Administration of TCM (SATCM) today in Beijing. 

2.        The POC was established under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between MOH and SATCM in 1999, which aims to facilitate bilateral cooperation and the mutual exchange of expertise and information on the teaching, practice and regulation of TCM between Singapore and the PRC. As part of the MOU, a POC is signed every five years¹, and both countries will take turns to host an annual Sino-Singapore Committee on TCM Cooperation meeting.

3.        The collaboration with SATCM has contributed to stronger TCM capabilities and higher standards in Singapore. Since 1999, SATCM’s experts have worked with MOH’s TCM Practitioners Board on the format, curriculum and questions for the qualifying examinations and training courses for TCM physicians and acupuncturists. SATCM has also provided advice in the evaluation of research proposals since 2012, when MOH first launched the TCM Research Grant. As part of the collaboration, MOH has conducted Health Management Training Programmes for PRC government officials and senior hospitals and universities administrators, to share on various aspects of Singapore’s healthcare system, including healthcare financing, regulations and hospital management. 

4.        The 6^th POC will build on previous bilateral cooperation to further strengthen TCM-related collaborations between both countries for the benefit of patients. Areas include research, teaching, practice and regulation of TCM in both countries. 

5.        “This partnership will enable our TCM industry to benefit from the rich experience and expertise of China’s State Administration of TCM, and further enhance TCM capabilities and standards in Singapore. TCM plays a useful role to complement western medicine, including in areas such as preventive health, management of chronic diseases and pain relief. I look forward to our continued collaboration with the State Administration of TCM, and the opportunities to work together and learn from one another.” said Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State for Health and Communications & Information, who signed the POC on behalf of MOH.

[1] While the MOU had originally provided for the renewal of the POC every three years, the 10th SSCTCMC (2015) agreed for the renewal to be scheduled every 5 years instead.