HKCMH
Deepening the Inheritance of Chinese Medicine, Empowering a Healthy Hong Kong
With the release of the HKSAR Government’s first Chinese Medicine Development Blueprint and the successive commissioning of key facilities such as the Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Hospital (HKCMH) and the Government Chinese Medicine Testing Centre, Chinese medicine has gradually expanded from primary care to higher-level medical treatment, scientific research and education, emerging as an integral part of Hong Kong’s healthcare system.
Integrating Chinese and Western medicine and transforming Chinese medicine services
Since its launch in December last year, the HKCMH has drawn wide attention for its innovative medical service model. Albert Wong, Chairman of the Board of Directors of HKCMH’s Operator, noted that the hospital has pioneered three service models – pure Chinese medicine, Chinese medicine-led care, and integrated Chinese-Western medicine collaboration – a groundbreaking initiative in Hong Kong’s Chinese medicine sector. Though the team was in a phase of integration in the initial stage of operation, it has always prioritized laying a solid foundation and ensuring service quality while actively responding to public needs. He stated that to address the public’s feedback on long waiting times for Chinese medicine dispensing, the hospital has been continuously optimizing processes and cutting waiting periods, with the overall service receiving predominantly positive reviews to date.
Cheung Chun-hoi, Deputy Hospital Chief Executive (Chinese Medicine) at the HKCMH, added that to ensure efficient and orderly integrated Chinese-Western medicine collaboration, the hospital has established clear clinical pathways and guidelines to foster mutual trust and coordination between Chinese and Western medicine teams. Meanwhile, the hospital has implemented six major Chinese medicine specialties, specialized disease programs and a one-stop clinical model, enabling patients to complete diagnosis, treatment and follow-up consultations at the same location with the same team, eliminating the need to travel between multiple hospitals and significantly enhancing the patient experience – a major breakthrough for Hong Kong’s Chinese medicine industry. He highlighted in particular that the hospital has attracted not only local residents but also many patients from outside the region, as well as from the Chinese mainland, the United States, Southeast Asia and other places. Its rigorous management system has further strengthened public confidence in the HKCMH.
Balancing the triple missions of medical care, education and research
Speaking of the current challenges, Wong frankly stated that the far higher-than-expected patient volume is the biggest test. "The hospital started accepting appointments in November last year, with an enthusiastic response from the public. We doubled the number of appointment quotas in the first 10 days of opening, and then increased them by an additional 30% in the first month of operation. Yet appointments were still fully booked quickly. In light of this, the hospital has carefully considered various factors, including resource and staffing allocation, and decided to raise the quota of government-subsidized outpatient services by an additional 30% for the third time. The new quotas will be flexibly allocated to general and specialist outpatient services." Currently, 65% of the hospital’s total services are government-subsidized, and 35% are market-oriented (private consultations). At the same time, the hospital shoulders the triple responsibilities of clinical care, education and research: it must simultaneously provide primary, secondary and tertiary medical care, Chinese medicine specialist services, and develop specialized Chinese medicine disease services. How to balance resource allocation, prioritize specialist and specialized disease research, and attract leading medical experts has become a key priority at present.
In response, Cheung said the hospital is steadily advancing the development of specialist departments and conducting in-depth research on 23 specialized diseases. It has a clinical trial and research center with 20 beds, and plans to launch Phase I and Phase II clinical studies in the future to support the international development of Chinese medicine. Meanwhile, the hospital is further clarifying its positioning to the public and directing resources toward specialized disease diagnosis, treatment and scientific research, to achieve dual improvement in medical services and scientific and technological innovation.
Cultivating a strong talent foundation
On the cultivation of young talents, both interviewees stated that Hong Kong has a sufficient reserve of Chinese medicine professionals, with more than 10,000 registered Chinese medicine practitioners in the region at present. The popularity of Chinese medicine program admissions remains high – last year alone, thousands of applicants vied for just 50 Chinese medicine-related undergraduate places at Hong Kong Baptist University. Wong emphasized the need to continue promoting Chinese medicine culture among teenagers to further expand the social influence of the Chinese medicine industry.
Cheung added that as a Chinese medicine clinical training base for three universities, the HKCMH has built a comprehensive clinical and research platform for young practitioners. Going forward, the hospital plans to launch interactive activities with primary and secondary school students in the region to advance the inheritance of Chinese medicine culture. It will also accelerate the transformation of Chinese medicine education, enabling local Chinese medicine graduates to gain ample practical experience in a large-scale hospital to support their career development and attract more young people to engage in Chinese medicine research and education.
Deepening Multi-stakeholder Collaboration, Jointly Shaping the Future of Chinese Medicine
Talking about multi-stakeholder collaboration and future plans, Wong said the hospital’s long-term development cannot be achieved without support from all sectors of society. He pointed out that as an important business organization in Hong Kong, the Chamber has many member enterprises engaged in the Chinese medicine sector, and welcomed the Chamber’s members to visit the hospital, offer guidance and put forward valuable suggestions. He hoped the business sector would actively promote Chinese medicine benefits, encourage enterprises to subsidize their employees’ Chinese medicine consultations, and help more people understand the development of modern Chinese medicine – noting that contemporary Chinese medicine practices are now equipped with advanced diagnostic and treatment equipment such as X-ray and ultrasound machines, breaking far beyond the traditional herbal medicine clinic model. Currently, the hospital is conducting in-depth cooperation with hospitals and universities on the Chinese mainland and overseas to fully drive the internationalization of Chinese medicine.
Regarding the hospital’s five-year development vision, Wong said it will gradually move toward full operation. Having already launched general, specialist and private outpatient services, the hospital is rolling out key specialized disease care programs in phases. It plans to initiate inpatient services by the end of this year or early next year, and by 2030, will have all 400 beds in full operation, with an annual outpatient volume of 400,000 visits. The hospital will continue to bring together outstanding Chinese medicine practitioners from Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland and overseas, deepen cooperation with numerous Chinese medicine institutions and universities on the mainland, improve the accumulation of scientific research data, and strive to build a high-level base for Chinese medicine clinical care, education and research.
Cheung stated that the hospital will closely align with Hong Kong’s Blueprint for the Development of Chinese Medicine, continue to invest in three core areas – clinical services, talent cultivation and scientific research innovation – strengthen collaboration with all parties, promote the outcomes of Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment, enable Chinese medicine to better serve the people of Hong Kong, and support the inheritance and internationalization of Chinese medicine culture.
Tommy Li
Completion of HKCMH to accelerate industry
ecological chain improvement
Aligning with Hong Kong’s proactive steps to integrate into national strategies, the HKSAR Government has high hopes for the HKCMH and the Government Chinese Medicine Testing Centre, aiming to build an interlocking Chinese medicine ecosystem covering the entire spectrum from academic institutions to hospitals and from scientific research to industry.
Tommy Li, Life Honorary Chairman of the Chamber, Chairman of the Chinese Medicine Trade Subcommittee of the Chinese Medicine Development Committee, and Chairman of the Advisory Committee of the Government Chinese Medicine Testing Centre, believes that the establishment of these two flagship facilities for Chinese medicine development will bring positive and proactive impetus to the overall development of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong and even the world. He anticipates three core changes to the current industry ecosystem: the improvement and completion of the existing Chinese medicine industrial chain; the comprehensive enhancement of clinical Chinese medicine services, which will gradually make Chinese medicine treatment one of the mainstream medical choices for the public; and the strengthening of the quality, standardization and internationalization capabilities of Chinese medicinal products.
Two flagship facilities complement each other closely
“The HKCMH undertakes clinical diagnosis and treatment, teaching, clinical research and the R&D of proprietary Chinese medicines, while the Chinese Medicine Testing Centre provides quality testing, standard formulation, technology transfer and international cooperation. The two facilities have been completed adjacent to each other, creating a collaborative environment of ‘clinical demand - scientific research verification - testing standards’ and leveraging the advantages of the ‘integrated body with two wings’. In the long run, they will create inherent conditions for Hong Kong’s proprietary Chinese medicines to ‘go global’,” he said. He described the two facilities as highly complementary, noting that they together form the core engine for the modernization of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong.
He recalled that in the past, due to the lack of local supporting facilities, the R&D of proprietary Chinese medicines by pharmaceutical manufacturers and the clinical practice of students from Chinese medicine colleges had to rely on the clinical services and training provided by Chinese medicine hospitals outside Hong Kong. Now, however, the Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Hospital will serve as the major teaching hospital for relevant courses at local universities, offering clinical practice and specialist advanced studies. The Chinese Medicine Testing Centre has an in-house International Cooperation and Training Centre to facilitate international technological exchanges. Taking advantage of these favorable conditions, Hong Kong is expected to develop into a hub and convergence point for Chinese medicine talent training aligned with international standards.
Seizing the industry’s development trend
Driven by the comprehensive supporting facilities of the HKCMH and the Testing Centre, and guided by the Government’s clear development direction, Li is confident that with the joint efforts of all stakeholders, Hong Kong’s Chinese medicine industry can step into a new era. He suggested that the industry could advance in several development directions. At the local level, for example, it can fully enhance the quality and transparency of Chinese medicinal products by leveraging the R&D achievements of the Testing Centre, and deeply participate in the Hospital Authority’s integrated Chinese and Western medicine service model to carry out cross-professional cooperation in chronic disease management and palliative care. At the scientific research and industrial level, the Testing Centre is equipped with high-end facilities to support the clinical R&D of new categories of proprietary Chinese medicines, a 3D medicinal material image database for identification and analysis, as well as technologies for the detection of marker components and traceability of Chinese medicinal products – all of which help boost the international competitiveness and recognition of Hong Kong’s Chinese medicine exports. The industry can collaborate with the Testing Centre to drive innovative R&D and clinical verification of Chinese medicines, assisting Hong Kong’s Chinese medicine in entering overseas markets.
“Looking ahead, Hong Kong can further export its integrated Chinese and Western medicine services and unique Chinese medicine medical models on the international stage. Leveraging the Testing Centre’s international connections and cooperation network with the World Health Organization, Hong Kong can build an important platform linking with the world, advance international scientific research and standard cooperation, and create an internationally influential ‘Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Brand’.”
