Participants in the 8th meeting of health ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states, held in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, northwest China, on Monday, announced their intention to cooperate with China in the field of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), People's Daily reported, citing Xinhua.

While visiting the Xi'an Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Askat Dzhakypov, a lecturer in the Department of Oriental Medicine at the Kyrgyz State Medical Institute of Retraining and Advanced Training named after S. B. Daniyarov, took a closer look at the specific methods of traditional Chinese medicine used in this hospital, such as acupuncture and pyrotherapy.
"Each hospital specializing in traditional Chinese medicine in different provinces of China has its own characteristics, so it is interesting to study the experience and structure of this hospital," said A. Dzhakypov, expressing a desire to cooperate with this hospital in the scientific research field and training of medical specialists.
"We intend to cooperate with the Chinese side in specific areas, such as electronic medicine, acupuncture, the use of medicinal herbs, moxibustion, massage and tuina, and we also plan to create joint projects so that the population learns about the methods of traditional Chinese medicine and experiences them," noted A. Dzhakypov.
According to him, the basics of theoretical knowledge of TCM, acupuncture, moxibustion, massage, etc. are being introduced in the educational sphere for the retraining of doctors in Kyrgyzstan.
He added that his institute has been cooperating with China's Gansu province for more than 10 years, during which time it has sent more than 400 doctors there to study traditional Chinese medicine.
As the Minister of Health of Kyrgyzstan Erkin Checheybaev noted at the meeting, traditional medicine plays an important role in the prevention and treatment of various diseases in Kyrgyzstan. He expressed confidence that the integration of traditional medicine knowledge with modern treatment methods can significantly increase the availability and effectiveness of medical care for citizens of Kyrgyzstan.
On the same day, some participants in the meeting learned about the application of traditional Chinese medicine in medical institutions at the grassroots level by visiting the health and medical service center in Tanjia Subdistrict, Weiyang City. It is worth noting that in this center, which serves 133,000 people, 30 percent of the doctor's visits are for TCM.
"I am very impressed and can say that in the primary health care sector, the presence of such a service allows us to sharply reduce the state's expenses on medical procedures offered by modern medicine," shared Teymur Musayev, the Minister of Health of Azerbaijan, which is one of the partner states in the SCO dialogue.
He also noted that Azerbaijan intends to cooperate with China in several areas in the healthcare sector, including traditional Chinese medicine.
At the meeting, the Minister of Health and Social Protection of the Population of Tajikistan, Jamoliddin Abdullozoda, stated that traditional medicine has enormous potential to reduce the burden of diseases and epidemics, and its proper integration into national systems of modern medicine in the SCO space will make a significant contribution to strengthening the health of the population.
(Editor: Deng Jie, Yang Qian)