90 pct of Chinese counties run TCM centers

BEIJING -- By 2024, approximately 90 percent of counties in China had set up county-run traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) institutions, according to a national TCM meeting that opened on Wednesday.

TCM centers had been established in nearly every town, township, and urban community throughout China, according to statistics released at the meeting.

While expanding its TCM service network, the country is also enhancing its TCM service capabilities. According to Yu Yanhong, head of the National Administration of TCM, efforts are underway to establish 1,158 national specialized TCM centers, focusing on creating specialized center clusters in areas such as orthopedics, proctology, pediatrics and dermatology.

Yu pledged efforts to leverage the unique advantages of TCM to promote a healthy China and ensure comprehensive health for people throughout their entire life cycle.

In 2025, China will strengthen the development of pediatrics, emergency medicine, critical care, rehabilitation, geriatrics, and psychiatry departments in TCM hospitals, per the meeting.