Standardizing the capacity of traditional medicine doctors in the integration period

The combination of modern medicine and traditional medicine in medical training and practice in Vietnam is becoming an urgent requirement.

This is not only a solution to improve the quality of medical examination and treatment, but also a strategic orientation to build a team of doctors with comprehensive knowledge, meeting the requirements of international integration.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong spoke at the Workshop.

On May 18, the Vietnam Academy of Traditional Medicine organized a series of international scientific conferences with the theme "Inheritance - Creation - International integration".

The event gathered nearly 20 leading experts from many countries to share experiences, update training trends, treatment and technology application in the field of traditional medicine.

Speaking at the workshop, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong emphasized that Vietnam's traditional medicine sector is facing many opportunities and challenges in the context of healthcare system innovation and increasingly deep international integration. Therefore, the close combination of modern medicine and traditional medicine is an inevitable direction, requiring changes from thinking, training models to clinical practice.

The leaders of the Ministry of Health also emphasized that medical facilities need to strengthen research, technology transfer, and effectively combine the application of two medical systems. At the same time, they need to focus on preserving and developing medicinal herbs and traditional medicines, and promoting the brand of Vietnamese traditional medicine internationally.

According to Dr. Le Manh Cuong, Director of Tue Tinh Hospital, although there have been many directives and resolutions on combining the two medical systems, in reality, implementation still faces many difficulties. Integrated treatment regimens have not been approved and widely applied, causing the potential of traditional medicine to not be effectively exploited.

“It is important to change right from the training stage. We need to move towards a model of training doctors with a deep understanding of both modern medicine and traditional medicine, for example a 50-50 ratio. This not only helps doctors make flexible treatment decisions, but also acts as a bridge between the two medical systems,” Dr. Cuong shared.

At the Vietnam Academy of Traditional Medicine, the integration of training has been initially implemented. Many in-depth scientific studies are being conducted to develop treatment regimens based on the combination of two medical systems, with a clear scientific basis to convince professionals and managers.

Dr. Cuong also believes that in the transitional period, it is possible to apply a model of combining modern medicine doctors and traditional medicine doctors to participate in treatment. Accordingly, modern medicine doctors are responsible for diagnosis and intervention using advanced methods, while traditional medicine doctors supplement treatment with herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, etc. depending on each disease.

One of the important goals set is to develop a set of criteria for assessing the capacity of traditional medicine doctors, aiming for a practice assessment exam in 2027 according to the provisions of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment.

Dr. Le Manh Cuong believes that to have an effective competency assessment exam, first of all, there must be a clear set of criteria, and we can refer to international experiences such as the Chinese model, where doctors are trained in both medical fields at the same time."

According to Dr. Nguyen Quoc Huy, Director of the Vietnam Academy of Traditional Medicine, this workshop is an opportunity for experts to discuss innovation in training methods and determine the necessary capacity of traditional medicine doctors in the context of digital transformation and international integration. From there, it is possible to propose to the National Medical Council specific requirements and appropriate practice criteria.

Experts also proposed promoting cooperation between training institutions and hospitals, training doctors in specialized fields, especially in areas such as oncology, musculoskeletal system, insomnia, chronic diseases, etc. In particular, models combining modern and traditional medicine need to be tested, evaluated and replicated.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/chuan-hoa-nang-luc-bac-sy-y-hoc-co-truyen-trong-thoi-ky-hoi-nhap-d285616.html