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SINGAPORE: Five traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) providers have become the first in Singapore to receive accreditation under a new national programme aimed at raising standards and strengthening public confidence in the sector.<\/span><\/p>\n From Saturday (Oct 17), TCM service providers and practitioners can apply for accreditation under the voluntary TCM Accreditation Programme, which sets standards in areas such as patient safety, clinical governance, service quality and professional competence.<\/span><\/p>\n Announcing the initiatives at the opening ceremony of the 23rd World Congress of Chinese Medicine, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said Singapore was taking a practical approach to integrating Western medicine and TCM, while ensuring that treatments are supported by rigorous evidence.<\/span><\/p>\n “The question is not whether one system is better than the other,” said Mr Ong, who is also Coordinating Minister for Social Policies.<\/span><\/p>\n “In modern healthcare systems, we explore how each can contribute its strengths, safely and effectively, so that we can complement them for the benefit of patients.”<\/span><\/p>\n The five providers that have met the new accreditation standards are Kwong Wai Shiu TCM Centre in Serangoon, NTU Chinese Medicine, Singapore Chung Hwa Medical Institution Headquarters, Singapore Thong Chai Medical Institution Headquarters and Thomson Chinese Medicine in Novena.<\/span><\/p>\n They will be granted the Accredited TCM Clinic status, said Mr Ong.<\/span><\/p>\n The programme comprises two components: TCM Services Accreditation for service providers and TCM Practitioners Accreditation for individual practitioners.<\/span><\/p>\n Service providers will be assessed on areas including governance, hygiene and infection control, equipment and TCM medications.<\/span><\/p>\n Individual practitioners will be assessed on factors such as their educational qualifications, clinical experience and professional standing.<\/span><\/p>\n The Academy of Chinese Medicine, Singapore has been appointed as the accrediting body for the programme.<\/span><\/p>\n Mr Ong said the accreditation framework was developed with input from the TCM community, including through site visits and mock audits.<\/span><\/p>\n Several providers have since strengthened their processes, governance and standards, he added.<\/span><\/p>\n Accreditation is voluntary, and registered TCM practitioners and service providers can continue practising or operating regardless of whether they are accredited.<\/span><\/p>\n Mr Ong said the aim was to establish accreditation as something “beyond licensing of practice”. “It demonstrates a commitment to stronger governance, consistent standards and public confidence,” he said.<\/span><\/p>\n Accreditation could also create opportunities for practitioners and providers to work with the Ministry of Health (MOH) on future TCM care models and contribute to national healthcare initiatives.<\/span><\/p>\n For instance, the Agency for Integrated Care will facilitate more collaborations between Active Ageing Centres and accredited TCM providers to bring TCM closer to the communities they serve.<\/span><\/p>\n Kwong Wai Shiu TCM Centre and Singapore Chung Hwa Medical Institution have already started doing so, said Mr Ong.<\/span><\/p>\n MOH is also studying a suggestion to allow accredited TCM practitioners to order X-rays as part of collaborative shared-care arrangements with general practitioner (GP) partners, he said.<\/span><\/p>\n Currently, a TCM practitioner who suspects that a patient has a fracture cannot order an X-ray, and must instead advise the patient to visit an emergency department or refer the patient to a Western medicine doctor who can order one.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\nFIVE TCM PROVIDERS ACCREDITED<\/span><\/h2>\n
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