Hong Kong Bauhinia Magazine: 

Building national demonstration zones for the comprehensive reform of TCM is a crucial measure for advancing innovative TCM inheritance and development. What progress and achievements have been made in exploring approaches to and accumulating experience for the construction of the demonstration zones? Thank you. 

Yu Yanhong:

Thank you for your interest in the construction of demonstration zones. In December 2021, together with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the NHC, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the National Medical Products Administration, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine approved the establishment of national demonstration zones for the comprehensive TCM reform in seven provincial-level regions of Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Shandong, Hunan, Guangdong, and Sichuan. For more than a year, the development of demonstration zones has shown a sound momentum with strong moves taken across the board, breakthroughs achieved in many areas, and further progress made in the following four aspects. 

First, organization and guidance have been enhanced, and TCM is now playing a more prominent role in facilitating overall economic and social development. All demonstration zones have established leading groups led by heads of provinces and municipalities. Concerted efforts have been made in the construction of demonstration zones, which have been included in Party congress reports, work priorities of commissions for further reform, and government work reports. Construction plans have been formulated, specifying reform tasks and creating blueprints. 

Second, we have enhanced coordination to form synergy in pursuing the comprehensive TCM reform in a more systematic, holistic, and coordinated way. All departments have enhanced their support and guidance. Comprehensive reforms of demonstration zones have been coordinated as a whole. All provincial departments have enhanced coordination, made a series of specialized reform plans, and encouraged prefectures and cities to carry out pilot projects around various themes, thus making further changes through pilot efforts. 

Third, we have made breakthroughs in key areas and links by upholding a problem-oriented approach and staying committed to reform and innovation. Shanghai has enhanced its TCM services in communities and established TCM departments in all community healthcare centers. Through digitalization reforms of TCM prescriptions, Zhejiang province has advanced the systematical reform of, and whole-process supervision over, clinical treatment, research, and services. Shandong and Hunan launched payment reforms based on curative effects for treating diseases for which TCM has demonstrated advantageous effects. The advantages of TCM hospitals have been enhanced, and average hospitalization costs have been significantly reduced. Jiangxi and Sichuan have intensified their efforts to form a standardization system, increasingly scaling up the cluster effect of TCM industry. 

Fourth, demonstration zones have been more active in serving national strategies and facilitated higher-level regional coordinated development. All demonstration zones have proactively promoted high-quality TCM development to integrate into Belt and Road cooperation and constructed 13 overseas TCM centers and nine national-level international TCM cooperation bases. With a focus on building a "highland" for TCM in the Greater Bay Area, Guangdong has promoted joint contribution and sharing of TCM resources in the area. Coordinative efforts have been made to encourage TCM doctors in Hong Kong and Macao to work in mainland public medical institutions, streamline the mainland's registration and approval procedures for traditional TCM medicines that have already been sold in Hong Kong and Macao for external use, and promote preparations made in the Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine to be approved and used in Macao. 

Next, we will focus on key problems concerning the preservation and innovative development of traditional Chinese medicine. We will take advantage of local resource endowment and unique strengths, further stimulate the initiative of reform and innovation, and deepen institutional and mechanistic reforms so as to promote the coordinated development of traditional Chinese medicine. Achievements and successful practices in reform will be proactively promoted and applied, benefiting more regions and more people.