Shanxi province is set to enhance its traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) service system this year, establishing itself as a national leader in TCM specialty centers and spearheading the development of demonstration cities and experimental zones for the inheritance and innovation of TCM. 

Shanxi aims to build itself as a national leader in TCM specialty centers. [Photo/Shanxi Transformation and Comprehensive Reform Demonstration Zone]

Key priorities for Shanxi include promoting the collaborative development of traditional Chinese and Western medicine, enhancing the quality and efficiency of the TCM industry, reinforcing TCM technological innovation and the industrialization of research outcomes, building a strong TCM talent pool, and deepening reforms in TCM systems and mechanisms.

To foster collaboration between Chinese and Western medicine, Shanxi will implement an action plan to enhance the quality of integrated services in general hospitals. This includes establishing flagship models for collaboration, undertaking clinical cooperation for major and complex diseases, and developing and promoting diagnosis and treatment plans. The province will also enforce regulations on the practice scope of TCM physicians and the provision of TCM services by non-TCM practitioners.

Shanxi's strategy to boost the TCM industry includes establishing a provincial germplasm resource bank and support the growth of key TCM enterprises. The province will also initiate full-industry chain demonstration projects for geo-authentic medicinal materials, foster new health service models like "TCM + wellness", and launch a TCM industry statistics monitoring platform.