China.org.cn | February 16, 2020
Modern Express:
We have learned that TCM has played an important role in curing patients and containing the epidemic, and the central government has also urged intensifying application of TCM in the whole course of diagnosis and treatment of patients. Would you like to give us more information on this issue? Thank you.
Wang Hesheng:
Just now, I talked about the feature in our treatment plan – integrating TCM with Western medicine. Since the start of the virus outbreak, we have earnestly implemented the important instructions given by General Secretary Xi Jinping, especially the instruction on combining TCM with Western medicine to treat patients, so as to bring into full play the role of the former. Yesterday, we held a special press conference on TCM to introduce relevant information. At the very beginning of the epidemic outbreak, we sent a group of experts to Wuhan to formulate our treatment plan. So far, we have dispatched three national TCM medical teams to Hubei province and organized TCM systems across the country to send medical specialists to the province. A total of 2,220 TCM workers have been sent to help combat the epidemic. The TCM medical teams stick to the principle of integrating TCM with Western medicine in treatment highlighting the best features of the former. More than half of the confirmed cases in Hubei have received TCM treatment. TCM workers have also actively participated in the anti-epidemic efforts at the community level, giving out TCM decoctions to residents in need. All these efforts have produced certain efficacy.
We have been coordinating the resources of both TCM and Western medicine to bring into full play their complementary advantages and promote collaborative research for effective means of prevention and treatment. We will spare no effort in increasing the cure rate, minimizing mortality, and safeguarding people's health and safety. Thank you.