Traditional Medicine: Chinese Hospital Receives 15,000 Patients Daily

The Jiangsu Provincial Hospital for Traditional Chinese Medicine in Nanjing is affiliated to a medical university.

Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM, has over the years grown in popularity in China and abroad. This treatment method is so popular that the Outpatient Department of the Jiangsu Provincial Hospital for Traditional Chinese Medicine receives about 15,000 people a day and 240,000 a year. Located in Nanjing, the Jiangsu provincial headquarters in south-eastern China, the whole hospital in 2016 received over 4 million patients.

According to Dr Helen Fu, who serves with the department, Traditional Chinese Medicine treats amongst others problems with the artery, stiff neck, numbness, indigestion, hernia, stroke, stomach upsets, internal and complicated heart diseases. Dr Sun is Head of the TCM Department of the Jiangsu Provincial Hospital for Traditional Chinese Medicine. The hospital is affiliated to the Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine. Dr Sun explains that to become a TCM Medical Doctor (General Practitioner), students undergo a five-course, followed by three years of industrial attachment. The course content is 30 per cent of orthodox medicine.

On the whole, TMC is cheaper than orthodox medical care and does not have side effects. Acupuncture, which is part of the practice, originated in China over 3,000 years ago before spreading to other nations. Prof. Wang Changqing, the Vice Chair of the Nanjing University of Chinese Medi...