Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi on Thursday called for further
innovation in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in order to
safeguard one of the country's most valuable cultural
heritages.
"TCM is a quintessential element of Chinese culture and an
important field of innovation for medical scientists. There is a
huge market demand worldwide," said Wu at Thursday's national TCM
conference.
Wu stressed the importance of respecting tradition in TCM
innovation and its clinical practice, and added that modern science
and technologies should be employed to develop TCM.
She called for strengthening protection of TCM intellectual
property and the training of professional personnel.
China currently has about 3,000 traditional medical hospitals
that dispense medical treatment to nearly 234 million people each
year.
(Xinhua News Agency January 12, 2007)