Singapore TCM accreditation and integrative medicine push

Organisations are assessed on factors including governance, hygiene and infection control, equipment, and the preparation and dispensing of TCM medications. Practitioners are assessed on qualifications, clinical experience and professional standing, among other criteria.

Accreditation goes beyond the existing requirements for TCM practitioners to be registered with the TCM Practitioners Board and hold valid practising certificates. Registered practitioners and providers can continue practising and operating without accreditation.

MOH will also open a second call for proposals under its TCM Integrative Sandbox from Nov 3. The initiative allows public healthcare institutions to test and evaluate selected TCM treatments in hospital settings.

The sandbox, launched in January 2025, evaluates whether treatments are clinically effective and cost-effective. Those that demonstrate positive results over one to two years could be considered for wider adoption and financial support.

Ong said MOH wants to support further work involving Chinese proprietary medicines, including their use in managing chronic diseases.

“The call for sandbox proposals will therefore remain open for another three years,” he said.

Seven acupuncture projects were selected for trials, out of 18 proposals submitted under the first call.

They cover stroke rehabilitation, migraine, knee osteoarthritis, female infertility, drug-resistant epilepsy and supportive cancer care, including the management of pain, insomnia and fatigue.

Currently, the only TCM treatments subsidised in public hospitals are acupuncture for neck pain and lower back pain.

“What we should not compromise on when developing integrative medicine is to build rigorous evidence for safety and effectiveness,” said Ong.

But he added: “TCM should not be forced into research approaches of modern medicine that do not recognise its long history of development and accumulated empirical evidence.”

“For example, randomised controlled trials may not always be practical for TCM. At the same time, neither should TCM be exempt from rigorous evaluation.”

MOH is also aiming to test how collaborative care between TCM practitioners and GPs could work, under Healthier SG, in the first half of 2027.

It has received 30 proposals and is shortlisting applications for further discussion.

The Agency for Integrated Care will also facilitate more partnerships between accredited TCM providers and active ageing centres to bring services closer to seniors. Kwong Wai Shiu TCM Centre and Singapore Chung Hwa Medical Institution have started collaborating with AACs, said Ong.