China's National People's Congress Standing Committee passed a new law on Sunday to incorporate Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) on the country's healthcare system.

"The new law on traditional Chinese medicine will improve global TCM influence and give a boost to China's soft power," Huang Wei, NPC Standing Committee deputy director for legislative affairs, told ECNS.

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The new law, which will take effect on July 1, 2017, will require country-level governments and above to establish TCM institutes on public hospitals and maternity and pediatric wards.

Furthermore, all TCM practitioners need to pass qualifying exams and obtain a license before they are legally allowed to practice in hospitals and clinics or in private, CTV News reported.

The new policy aims to safeguard and facilitate TCM development and put both TCM and Western medicine on an equal footing. TCM practitioners will be trained better, and use of products with pesticides will be strictly monitored.

Beijing will also boost research and development centers for TCM, according to CCTV. R&D centers will not only safeguard TCM intellectual property but also use technology and create programs for emergency health situations and for disease prevention and control.

So far, there are around 3,966 TCM hospitals and 42,528 TCM clinics in the mainland, with at least 452,000 practitioners. These facilities reportedly cater an annual average of 910 million consultations, according to a white paper issued by China's State Council Information Center this month.

Global recognition and cooperation to develop TCM has also been boosted. The World Health Organization said that 103 member states have approved acupuncture practice and moxibustion, which is an ancient therapy that involves burning of dried mugwort on specific body points; 29 passed TCM laws; and 18 covered acupuncture and moxibustion as part of medical insurance provision.

Strait Times also noted that TCM is no longer becoming the cheap alternative for Western medicines as herbs prices have increased because of the economy and high demand.

In fact, in Malaysia, Kerk Ee Chan, secretary-general of Malaysia Federation of Chinese Medicine Dealers and Practitioners Association, said that herbs prices skyrocketed to as high as 50 percent after the government implemented the goods and services tax (GST) in April 2015. The cost is continuously rising since then.

"The price increase does not only apply to herbs but also medicinal liquors and ointments, commonly used for tui na (a form of Chinese therapeutic massage), which has gone up by a whopping 150 percent," he added.

TagsTraditional Chinese Medicine, traditional chinese medicine practitioners, traditional chinese medicine herbs