Compared to established divisions of the Ministry of Health, the traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) division is relatively new and represents a work in progress, said Dr Dyanan Puvanandran, Secretary of the T&CM Council, MOH.

Dyanan was speaking at the recent Integrative Medicine Seminar organized by the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) in Petaling Jaya. He explained that the T&CM Council consists of members appointed by the Health Minister, on the recommendation of the Director-General (DG) of Health. T&CM encompasses a broad field and includes traditional Chinese medicine, traditional Malay medicine, traditional Indian medicine, homeopathy, chiropractic and osteopathy, and Islamic medical practice.

According to the T&CM Act 2016 (Act 775), T&CM is a form of health-related practice that is designed to prevent, treat or manage ailments/ illnesses or preserve the mental and physical wellbeing of an individual; and excludes medical or dental practices used by a medical or dental practitioner, respectively.

Provisions of the Act 775 include the setting up of the T&CM Council, of which Dyanan is a member, empowerment of the T&CM Council to set matters pertaining to the T&CM practices and practitioners in Malaysia. It further requires individuals who wish to practice in any of the recognized T&CM fields to be registered with the T&CM Council as well as relevant mechanisms and criteria. Among others, the Act outlines the duties and responsibilities that a registered practitioner must follow and provides guidelines to protect the rights of patients receiving T&CM services.

The Act further dictates that the DG shall be the chairman of the T&CM Council and the Deputy DG is the alternate chairman. The council, in its latest iteration, consists of three representatives from MOH (one each from the Medical Development Division, Family Health Development Division, and T&CM Division), two from local universities, five from T&CM industries and six from practitioner bodies.

Dyanan said that the scope covered by the T&CM Division of MOH is wide, thus many aspects are still being fine-tuned. He urged all parties to play their part by contributing to the development of the field of T&CM and providing feedback and support where necessary. Recognizing the important role T&CM plays in the social fabric of the Malaysian society, the policy statement on T&CM states that T&CM shall be an important component of the healthcare system. It will coexist with modern medicine and contribute towards enhancing the health and quality of life of all Malaysians. The government will facilitate the development of T&CM and ensure the quality, safe practices, and products of T&CM. The government will support the identification of T&CMs health, economic and social benefits.

The T&CM council is currently running capacity building courses (CBC) targeted at traditional medicine practitioners (Chinese and Indian) and local homeopathy practitioners with no recognized qualifications but have suitable experience as determined by the T&CM Council. These are otherwise known as the grandfathering category of practitioners. Participants will be given a certificate of attendance for the course after meeting the attendance requirement.

The courses teaching plans and course materials were developed with the assistance of the relevant practitioner bodies and experts. Only CBC trainers and training centres approved by the T&CM Council are allowed to offer CBC according to the set fees. Implementation of these CBC commenced in 2021 for traditional Chinese medicine, traditional Malay medicine and homeopathy. Traditional Islamic Medicine CBCs will be available in 2023.

T&CM increasingly being offered in MOH hospitals To date, 15 government hospitals have incorporated T&CM services in their setting. However, one cannot simply access T&CM services via walk-inpatients should be referred by a registered medical practitioner and 18 years of age.

The six types of T&CM services offered in MOH hospitals are traditional massage, Shirodhara, herbal therapy as an adjunct treatment for cancer patients, acupuncture, and External Basti Therapy.

Ed: Queries or complaints can be channelled to tcm@moh.gov.my

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Traditional and complementary medicine to fall within better defined ... - MIMS