The World Health Organization's (WHO) Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014-2023 calls for nations to develop traditional medicine in accordance with their own national conditions and to incorporate traditional medicine into the local healthcare system. The WHO also estimated that more than 70% of the world's population have utilized traditional medicine as part of its healthcare services; based on the statistical analysis of the U.S.-based Grand View Research, the market size of traditional medicine and alternative therapy in 2017 was estimated at 52 billion US Dollars and the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) up to 2025 was estimated to be 18.11%. This exemplifies the tremendous growth stability and potential for traditional medicine and its future applications in healthcare.
The population of the world continues to age. The National Development Council predicted that by the year 2026, Taiwan would become a super-aged society. As the population structure shifts, the issues of healthcare and service needs become increasingly important; health maintenance also increasingly gains traction and is a popular subject among the population. As Taiwan has adopted a system where Western medicine and Chinese Medicine are practiced in parallel, under the National Health Insurance System (NHI), people are free to choose Western medicine or Chinese Medicine to satisfy their healthcare needs. To fulfil the duties of developing modern and traditional medical research entrusted to it by the Constitution, and to resonate with the WHO's advocacy for the strategies to develop traditional medicine, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) drafted the Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy Development Act, which was approved by the Legislative Yuan on December 6, 2019 and promulgated by the President of Taiwan on December 31, 2019. The Act establishes the fundamental principles of the development of Chinese medicine and fosters the sustainable development of Chinese medicine to protect the health and well-being of all citizens, in turn ushering in a new milestone for the development of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in Taiwan.
In promoting the welfare of citizens, the Ministry has launched multiple important measures. In terms of TCM affairs, the Ministry has implemented various measures to promote diversified development of TCM, such as: the Responsible Chinese Medicine Physician Training System within Chinese medicine facilities; the evaluation system for Chinese medicine hospitals; the Western/Chinese medicine combined care model; the Chinese medicine day care model; Chinese medicine involvement in the long-term care system; Chinese medicine involvement in drug rehabilitation and therapy models. The aim is to foster diverse developments in Chinese medicine. In terms of Chinese pharmacy management, the Ministry has implemented the following: border inspection of imported TCM materials; revision on the limit of abnormal substances in TCM materials; reinforcing the counseling and management of TCM pharmaceutical factories; validation of TCM pharmaceutical factories; strengthening the registration laws for TCM and conducting a rolling revision of the Taiwan Herbal Pharmacopeia. All these measures serve to ensure the quality of TCM pharmaceutical management. In terms of folk therapeutic services, the Ministry has promoted the following: fostering the legal compliance of practitioners; planning an education and training system; promoting licensing of the profession; institutionalization of folk therapeutic service management. In addition, to foster international exchange and correlate with the nation's New Southbound Policy, the Ministry is also engaged in the promotion of TCM exchange with New Southbound countries, expanding the sharing of experiences in management legislature, clinical applications, and other systems related to TCM, as well as the integration of TCM and Western medical therapy.
This book is a comprehensive introduction to the major policy planning, current progress, and future development directions of the MOHW's Department of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy. The book is designed to provide both the Chinese-reading public and foreigners with a deeper understanding and knowledge of the current development of TCM in Taiwan. The Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Taiwan –Third Edition has garnered numerous compliments since its publication in 2018. The fourth edition fleshes out the framework of the previous one, incorporates expanded sections and updated contents, including chapters on administrative organization, TCM medical care, quality control of TCM, international exchange on traditional medicine, industry guidance for folk therapeutic service, and future prospects. The book adds an update on the development of the Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy Development Act and the latest TCM-related information, and responds to the WHO’s management strategies for TCM, making it a useful reference for relevant professionals.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare Minister
August, 2020