Health sector urged to develop traditional medicine

 

 

Hanoi (VNA) – Preserving valuable traditional medicine
is a vital task of the health sector, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said at
a ceremony to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Traditional Medicine
Management Department under the Health Ministry (1957-2017) in Hanoi on June 6.

The Deputy PM said the nation’s traditional medicine heritage has been passed down
through generations, which should be used in combination with modern medicine.

On June 7, 1957, the Oriental Medicine
Department, now the , was established
under the Health Ministry. Since then, the traditional medicine sector has
developed into a network of 64 public specialized hospitals and three private
ones.

In addition, about 92.7 percent of general
hospitals have a department or sub-department, and nearly
85 percent of communal medical stations provide treatment using both
traditional and modern methods, according to Pham Vu Khanh, Director of the
department.

Human resources training for the field has
received attention, with a specialised training institute, and departments in many
medical training establishments..

On the occasion, Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam presented
the Government’s certificates of merit to outstanding collectives and
individuals in the field.

According to the Ministry of Health, 1,300 medicinal plant
species have been found in
Vietnam, and herbal medicine is manufactured under the World Health Organisation’s good
manufacturing practices.-VNA