The Hubei Provincial Government has issued the “Three-Year Action Plan for Promoting the Development of Hubei Province into a Strong Province in Traditional Chinese Medicine (2020–2022).”

Recently, the Hubei Provincial Government issued the Three-Year Action Plan for Building Hubei into a Strong Province in Traditional Chinese Medicine (2020–2022), which sets out that by 2022 the regulatory framework, policies, management and standard-setting mechanisms, and evaluation systems for TCM development will be further improved; the number of beds in public TCM hospitals will reach 0.85 per 1,000 population; the main business revenue of the province’s traditional Chinese medicine industry will reach RMB 100 billion; and Hubei will be developed into a “hub for TCM services,” a “hub for integrated TCM–Western medicine practice,” and a “hub for the TCM health industry” in the central region.

The Plan specifies the launch of an initiative to enhance the public health emergency response capacity of traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine institutions and personnel will be integrated into the emergency response system for public health emergencies, with 3 to 5 regional bases for the treatment of major epidemics and public health emergencies powered by TCM established at provincial and municipal TCM medical institutions. Research on the prevention and control of infectious diseases using TCM will also be strengthened. Public TCM hospitals at or above the secondary level will standardize the setup of fever clinics, reinforce the development of departments such as laboratory testing, emergency medicine, intensive care, and infectious diseases, and enhance staff training, thereby comprehensively improving their emergency response and treatment capabilities.

The Plan proposes launching an initiative to enhance primary-level TCM service capabilities. By 2022, all county-level TCM hospitals run by the government will be fully established; “National Medicine Halls” will achieve full coverage in township health centers and community health service centers across the province; and all community health service stations and 70% of village health clinics will provide TCM services. In addition, 25 county-level medical consortia led by TCM hospitals will be established. Each county will set up one center for promoting appropriate TCM technologies, which will disseminate no fewer than 10 categories comprising 30 specific appropriate TCM techniques to primary-level medical and health institutions. Furthermore, the integration of TCM-based preventive healthcare into family-doctor team contract services will be advanced.

The Plan specifies the launch of an initiative to enhance the distinctive strengths and advantages of TCM in disease prevention and treatment. It calls for advancing the development of renowned TCM hospitals and departments, strengthening and optimizing the provincial TCM hospital’s National TCM Clinical Research Base and five national projects for the inheritance and innovation of TCM. Additionally, it aims to establish 240 key specialized TCM departments at both national and provincial levels, integrate high-quality TCM and Western medical resources to build 10 collaborative diagnosis and treatment centers for major and complex diseases, and improve the consultation systems for TCM–Western medicine collaboration in general and specialized hospitals. TCM services will be incorporated into the evaluation of public medical institutions’ accreditation levels and performance assessments. Furthermore, a project to enhance TCM rehabilitation capabilities will be implemented, with a focus on providing integrated TCM–Western medicine rehabilitation for COVID-19 patients; a number of regional TCM rehabilitation centers will be established, leveraging the support of provincial TCM–Western medicine integrated hospitals and other institutions.

At the same time, it is clearly stated that a campaign will be launched to revitalize the TCM health industry, promote the “one county, one product” initiative for authentic medicinal materials, and integrate the production of Chinese medicinal materials and the development of supporting infrastructure into the rural revitalization strategy. By 2022, the total area under cultivation of Chinese medicinal materials across the province is expected to reach 5 million mu. Furthermore, vigorous efforts will be made to develop e-commerce and modern logistics for Chinese medicine, strengthen quality management of Chinese medicinal products, support the growth of TCM-based health services, and vigorously promote the establishment of TCM clinics, outpatient departments, and specialized hospitals with distinctive TCM features.

The Plan also calls for deepening reform of education in TCM institutions and improving the systems of early mentorship and early clinical training. It proposes implementing the “Shizhen Talent Program,” establishing 120 inheritance studios for National Masters of TCM, nationally renowned TCM practitioners, Qihuang Scholars, and provincial masters and distinguished teachers of TCM, and cultivating more than 300 successors to academic expertise. The plan further aims to strengthen the grassroots TCM workforce by refining policies for the targeted training and employment of TCM undergraduates under rural order-based programs, and by supporting licensed TCM physicians and TCM graduates in providing TCM services at the grassroots level. In addition, it seeks to establish 200 studios for well-known senior TCM practitioners at the grassroots level and to encourage retired TCM physicians to provide services at the grassroots.

The Plan also sets forth clear requirements for improving the talent evaluation and incentive mechanisms, excavating and passing down the essence of the treasure trove of traditional Chinese medicine, advancing scientific and technological innovation in TCM, strengthening the informationization of TCM, promoting international exchange and cooperation in TCM, and implementing the supporting measures for the Three-Year Action Plan.