Community TCM services benefit residents in China's Tianjin

TIANJIN -- Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) physician Wang Wenhao has become a celebrity among patients at the Huayuanjie community's health service center in north China's Tianjin Municipality.

The warm-hearted 34-year-old started his TCM practice in the center earlier this year, and now receives around 15 patients every day. He also provides physical therapy for another 15 patients daily, and sometimes makes home visits, providing acupuncture treatment and preparing medicine for those with mobility issues.

"The community health service center is very useful because it provides easier access for patients. By working at the grassroots level, meanwhile, I can learn more about different diseases and continuously improve myself," Wang said.

TCM physicians at the community level are a key part of "a 15-minute TCM health circle" created by the municipal health authorities to provide convenient and better medical services for residents.

"TCM services at the grassroots level are the foundation of the development of TCM, and Tianjin is now striving to promote TCM and benefit more residents," said Yu Chunquan, head of the TCM bureau of the municipal health commission.

China has launched a special three-year program to promote the role of TCM in enhancing public health. It will focus on eight aspects, including the application of TCM in maternal and child healthcare, elderly care, preventative treatment for chronic diseases, adolescent myopia and obesity, as well as the popularization of TCM knowledge.

Data showed that there are more than 260 community health service centers and township clinics in Tianjin, and all of them are able to provide TCM services.

"This means that people can reach the nearest health service center and receive TCM treatment in just 15 minutes," Yu explained.

TCM services at Huayuanjie community have won recognition from the locals. "Some 40 percent of the 800 outpatients received by the center every day ask for TCM services," said Zhang Na, the center's director.

"We see more young patients today choosing TCM, and we will continue to provide better TCM services for different groups of people," Zhang added.

Mu Ruina, a resident living in Zhongshanmenjie community, Hedong District, said she is a beneficiary of the 15-minute TCM health circle.

"We signed with a family doctor who can offer TCM services. Since our children are not in Tianjin, the home-visit services can solve our problems," the 58-year-old said.

Nearly 30 percent of people in the Zhongshanmenjie community are aged over 65. Bearing in mind the aging population, the community has opened seven health service centers and established 21 family doctor teams to provide better services for locals.

Meanwhile, over 80 percent of grassroots medical and health institutions in Tianjin are able to provide TCM rehabilitation services, according to Yu.

"In the next step, we are going to train 5,000 TCM practitioners for grassroots-level health institutions, providing better services for locals and meeting their health needs," Yu said.