The State Council issued a circular on Feb 9, aimed at speeding up implementation of policies to support the development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, TCM has made remarkable achievements in its reform and development.

To enable TCM to play a bigger role with its features and comparative advantages, and promote its mutually supportive and coordinated development with Western medicines, more efforts are needed to improve high-quality supply, talent training, and innovative system, it stated.

According to the circular, TCM talent base calls for consolidation with overall medical education.  In the nation's plan to construct world-class universities and first-class disciplines, the "Double First-Class" initiative, TCM universities and courses should be beefed up, and top undergraduate disciplines in TCM will be set up in about 100 institutions.

Departments concerned should push forward experience gained from renowned TCM experts, and advance study and training for TCM clinical professionals, the circular said.

To promote TCM industrial development, further efforts should be in place to optimize regulation on TCM assessment and approvals and improve TCM classified registration management.

And input for TCM development should be strengthened as well. Government investment should be guaranteed to support construction of public TCM hospitals, equipment purchase, and development of key programs and personnel.

Social investment should come from more parties into hubs of TCM health services, subjects, and industries.

The integration system between TCM and Western medicines calls for further improvements, the circular stated. Departments concerned should add more TCM physicians in clinical departments and cultivate a combined medical team for joint diagnosis and treatment.

A coordinated epidemic prevention mechanism with TCM and Western medicines should also be optimized. TCM medical staff should participate in public health emergencies, and TCM preventive measures should be fully integrated in contingency plans and technical programs.

The circular also laid out plans to carry out major projects of TCM and special talent cultivation, and reinforce construction of a TCM medical service system.

In order to improve returns and benefits of TCM development, the nation will optimize TCM service pricing policies and improve management of TCM in medical insurance.

In addition, a sound environment for TCM development should be created, with better intellectual property rights protection and management of TCM science and technology.