Australia Legalizes Traditional Chinese Medicine
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) has said that as of July 1, acupuncturists and Chinese herbal medicine practitioners must be registered under the national registration and accreditation scheme with the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia (CMBA).
Five thousand Chinese medicine and acupuncture clinics are reportedly in Australia now. They serve about 2.8 million people every year and 80 percent of the patients are native English speakers.
"Some of the traditional Chinese medicines, such as acupuncture, massage and other treatments can cure a number of diseases that can't be done by western medicine, especially some chronic diseases," claimed an unidentified surgeon from Westmead Hospital in Sydney.
"This initiative by the Australian government not only legalizes Chinese medicine, but also raises the social status of Chinese medical practitioners." Deng Li, Australian correspondent from CRI said. "Chinese medicine now enjoys a high degree of social recognition in Australia."
However some of famous Chinese medicine doctors in Australia are without BA, MA or PhD degrees and complain about the requirements for governmental registration such as a high educational level and English proficiency.
