During this year’s Two Sessions, the Central Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy submitted to the Fourth Session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference a proposal on promoting the high-quality development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) healthcare, focusing on such issues as the development of TCM specialties, in-hospital preparations of Chinese medicinal materials, and the training of TCM clinical professionals.

The proposal points out that General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to the work of traditional Chinese medicine and has made a series of important expositions, thereby defining the tasks and charting the course for the inheritance, innovation, and development of TCM in the new era, which has ushered in an unprecedented opportunity for the advancement of the TCM sector. However, the current inadequacy of TCM’s medical capabilities and standards remains a salient issue, serving as a critical bottleneck that constrains the development of TCM healthcare. This is primarily manifested in weak specialized TCM departments, constraints on the development of in-hospital preparations of traditional Chinese medicines and new TCM technologies, as well as insufficient support in terms of talent and funding.

The proposal points out that, in terms of the number of specialized departments, TCM hospitals have already reached a certain scale, with their signature conditions concentrated in TCM internal medicine—specifically gastroenterology, respiratory medicine, nephrology, and oncology—as well as TCM orthopedics and traumatology, TCM gynecology, and TCM pediatrics. However, due to a lack of leading experts in these specialties and insufficient resources such as equipment and institutional capacity, the quality of specialty development in TCM hospitals remains weak, particularly at the county- and city-level, where high-quality specialized departments are even more scarce. The proposal recommends optimizing the development of TCM-specific specialties and enhancing the capacity and level of TCM-based specialized medical services. First, Firmly leverage the distinctive strengths of TCM in treating specific disease categories to strengthen specialty development. Focus on the advantages of TCM in the treatment of complex and refractory diseases as well as chronic conditions, and on disease categories where integrated TCM–Western medicine approaches excel, while vigorously advancing the development of specialized TCM departments. Second, Taking the development of specialized departments as the key initiative, we will refine the system for building TCM-specific specialties and establish a four-tier framework at the national, provincial, prefectural, and county levels. This framework will ensure that all TCM hospitals are covered by specialized programs, while also providing support for provincial-level hospitals to develop nationally recognized TCM specialties. Third is Strongly support the development of provincial-level hospitals into national regional diagnosis and treatment centers—for example, in rheumatic and immune diseases and oncology—so as to leverage the leading role and spillover effects of flagship specialties, use hub specialties to drive and facilitate the development of network-base specialties, and systematically enhance the quality of TCM–specific specialty development. Fourth is Strengthen support and guarantees for talent, funding, and other resources in the development of specialized departments; establish a tiered, progressive roadmap for specialty development; and enhance capacity-building in TCM-specific specialties.

With regard to hospital-prepared traditional Chinese medicine formulations that embody TCM’s unique characteristics, the proposal points out that the current approval and registration process for such formulations is fraught with obstacles. Taking Zhejiang Province as an example, over the past five years more than 87% of hospitals have failed to obtain approval for their in-house preparations. The same holds true for new TCM diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, such as acupuncture, tuina massage, and rehabilitation programs: in the past five years, 60% of hospitals have not secured approval for these appropriate new technologies to be included in the national medical insurance reimbursement list. The root cause lies in insufficient understanding of TCM-specific healthcare services and inadequate policy support. Because these new TCM technologies are not covered by medical insurance, they are often prescribed on a self-pay basis in clinical practice, leading patients to forgo them. The proposal recommends streamlining the approval and registration channels, providing robust support for TCM-specific in-house preparations and new TCM technologies, and expanding the scope of TCM-based healthcare services. First, Fully support the development of in-house pharmaceutical preparations by establishing a system of on-demand submission and semi-annual review, thereby meeting patient needs, reducing the number of outpatient visits, and conserving healthcare resources. Second, Support the development of new TCM technologies with proven clinical efficacy; such technologies that fall within the scope of disease diagnosis and treatment should be promptly included in the medical insurance reimbursement system. An annual application and approval mechanism should be established to ensure that the public can promptly benefit from the advantages of the medical insurance policy. Third is By establishing stable reporting and approval channels and long-term mechanisms, and by allocating dedicated funding, we will safeguard and support the development of in-house Chinese medicinal preparations and new TCM technologies, thereby enhancing TCM clinical capabilities and service standards. Fourth is Establish a regulatory oversight mechanism and conduct regular inspections of in-house preparations and new technologies to prevent laxity or excessive stringency; neither should we abandon beneficial measures out of fear of potential risks, nor should we adopt a hands-off approach.

The proposal points out that funding for traditional Chinese medicine is inadequate, with insufficient financial support for talent-development programs, specialty-building initiatives, and research projects. It recommends strengthening financial support and prioritizing the cultivation of clinical TCM professionals and the development of research projects. First, Improve the national “Outstanding TCM Talent” program, establish a tiered training and development mechanism for TCM professionals at all levels, and ensure that the program covers all hospitals at or above the county level. Second, Establish and improve the “Young Renowned TCM Physicians” talent program, increase the number of personnel being cultivated, and build an appropriate talent pipeline. Third is Strengthening research support for traditional Chinese medicine requires the government to both increase the number of research projects and boost funding. Talent-development programs and research initiatives now cover all specialized disciplines, significantly enhancing the quality of specialty development.