Processing herbal medicine (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Health will work to increase medical examinations and treatment using herbal medicine.
According to the ministry, 57 out of 63 localities have hospitals using herbal medicine in treatment.
The treatment with herbal medicine has gradually risen over the years, with the method used in 4.1 percent, 11.7 percent and 13.4 percent of total cases in central, provincial and district levels, respectively.
In 2017, the sector continued developing and completing a legal framework on traditional medicine in terms of herbal medicine processing methods, list of herbal materials, among others.
Local herbal materials were developed to ensure supply for traditional medicine institutions while increasing supervisions to improve the quality of herbal materials at health care facilities and shops.
The Ministry inspected examinations and treatment at traditional medicine hospitals in Lang Son, Bac Giang, Hoa Binh provinces, and Ho Chi Minh City, and evaluated the treatment quality at central hospitals.
It also worked closely with the National Steering Committee No. 389 on combating smuggling, commercial frauds and counterfeit goods in the sector.
A number of models were piloted to enhance the skills of herbal medicine treatment, such as training volunteers providing primary health care services based on traditional medicine in Thanh Tri district, Hanoi, and bettering acupuncture treatment skills at a communal health care station in Thanh Mien district, Hai Duong province.
Workshops were conducted to seek measures for the development of herbal medicine.
However, the quality of examinations and treatment based on herbal medicine has yet to meet the increasing demand of people, while the combination of herbal medicine and modern medicine remained ineffective in some places.
Therefore, in the coming time, the sector will continue completing the State management system in term of herbal medicine at all levels, aiming to ensure all provincial health departments will have staff in charge of this medicine.
Focus will be put on expanding the service network, raising examination and treatment quality, training human resources at all levels.
Two additional provincial traditional medicine hospitals will be built in 2018.
Treatment with herbal medicine combined with modern medicine will be improved, raising the rate of people using the services to 10 percent, 15 percent and 20 percent, and 35 percent of total cases in central, provincial, district, and communal levels, respectively.
The sector will instruct relevant bodies, agencies, and health care institutions to inspect the quality of treatment services and herbal materials and medicine production.
Combating smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeit goods of herbal materials will be strengthened in a number of provinces and cities.-VNA
VNA
