AN elderly lady recently caused a major uproar across China.

Liu Hongbin, a self-proclaimed traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) expert, was regularly seen on various television advertisements for medicine products. On Tibet TV, she claimed to have inherited knowledge of traditional medicine practiced by the Miao ethnic minority group, professing to be an expert in curing coughs and asthma, while on Gansu TV, she said she owned a prescription that can treat rheumatism, and on other TV programs, she presented herself as an expert of traditional Mongolian medicine and as having graduated from Peking University.

However, in late June, it was discovered that she is not a qualified TCM practitioner and the pharmaceuticals she endorsed on TV programs were actually fake products.

The exposure stirred up a wave of public backlash. Now, through the Law on Traditional Chinese Medicine, which went into effect on July 1, measures have been taken to strengthen regulated development of TCM, and such phenomenon will be heavily cracked down according to the law in the future. There will be no market for people like Liu.

"It is a milestone for TCM development. It is only a start, and more matching policies and regulations will follow in the spirit of the law boosting TCM," said Wang Guoqiang, head of the State Administration of TCM.

Regulated by law

Acupuncture, massage, medical herbs, dietary therapy and qigong exercises, these are people's impression of TCM. As a representative feature of Chinese civilization, it is a medical science that has been part of daily life combating diseases for the past thousands of years in China.

In 2015, Tu Youyou, who spent her entire career on researching traditional Chinese medicine, was awarded the Nobel Prize for using artemisinin to treat malaria, which again shows the significance of TCM.

TCM is widely accepted by the Chinese people and is playing an important role in disease prevention and treatment. However, for thousands of years, there was no specific law regulating its development. As a result, many self-proclaimed but unqualified TCM experts like Liu emerged to sell their medicines, seeking illegal profit while ignoring people's health. This phenomenon is now strictly prohibited by China's Law on TCM adopted in 2016 as every TCM practitioner is required to get a license.

According to Article 15 of the law, a person who provides TCM services must first pass the TCM physician qualification test and register their practice.

The new law again affirms the important roles of TCM in the country's healthcare system. It says China will give equal importance to tradtional Chinese and Western medicines, and encourage these two sciences to complement each other.

"The new law shows that the Chinese Government has put Chinese medicinal science and technology in an important position," said Xu Nanping, Vice Minister of Science and Technology.

The law also issued rules that comprehensive hospitals and maternity and child care institutions launched by governments as well as qualified specialized hospitals, community health service centers and township health centers should set TCM departments and clinics. In addition, encouragement has been given to social capital to support the development of TCM, and to private investors to establish TCM healthcare institutions.

According to a white paper on the development of TCM issued by the State Council Information Office in December 2016, at the end of 2015, there were 3,966 TCM hospitals and 42,528 TCM clinics across the country with 452,000 practitioners and assistant practitioners, and there were 910 million visits that year to TCM treatment and health service units.

Strengthened supervision

Lin Tao, a senior doctor who has his own TCM clinic in Beijing, felt disappointed by the scandal surrounding Liu. "It seriously damaged the reputation of TCM. The behavior deceived patients and also damages patients' trust in TCM and us practitioners," he told ChinAfrica.

To solve the problem and further standardize TCM industry, the law helps expose fake TCM doctors who often boast they can cure all manner of diseases.

Article 46 of the law states that all activities promoting and popularizing TCM culture and knowledge should comply with relevant laws. No organization or individual is allowed to seek illegal gains in the name of TCM. Under the law, TCM products and services can be advertised only with approval from the local TCM authorities.

"The law is a protective umbrella for both patients and TCM industry. It is helpful in its future development," Lin said.

Besides, to safeguard consumers' rights, the law also calls for strengthened management and quality control of TCM raw materials and related procedures including medical herb planting, collecting and stocking. In addition, highly toxic pesticides cannot be used to cultivate medicinal herbs.

TCM education

Another highlight of the law is its emphasis on cultivating TCM practitioners, especially through systematic education in universities. The law stipulates that efforts should be made to further improve school education system of TCM, support the development of universities, vocational schools specializing in TCM education and other related education institutions.

According to the white paper on TCM, at the end of 2015, TCM students numbered 752,000 in Chinese universities.

Besides graduates from TCM universities and vocational schools, there are a special group of TCM practitioners whose problems should also be addressed.

Currently in China, there are many TCM practitioners who only learn from senior TCM practitioners in clinics rather than studying the discipline at universities. Without a license of providing TCM services from the administration agencies, though, they have specialty in medical skills through many years of practices.

"According to the law, these TCM practitioners can get the opportunity to qualify as licensed physicians," Huang Jin, a postgraduate of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. The new law stipulates that these practitioners must pass exams focusing on practical skills and treatment outcomes by provincial-level TCM authorities, and obtain recommendations from two certified practitioners before getting a license.

"Talented people are the foundation for promoting the development of TCM," said Wang Guoqiang, who is also vice minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission.