New thinking on the development of traditional medicine.

The Provincial People's Committee has recently issued a plan for the development of traditional medicine in conjunction with modern medicine for the period 2026-2030, aiming to improve the quality of healthcare for the people and leverage the unique strengths of the locality.

Doctors are performing acupuncture thread embedding procedure on a patient at Pham Ngoc Thach Traditional Medicine Hospital.

Strategic vision from the Central Government

Recently, during a meeting with the Ministry of Health , General Secretary and President To Lam emphasized the need to develop traditional medicine (TCM) with a new mindset, a new vision, and a new approach. TCM needs to be inherited, standardized, and developed on the foundation of modern science and technology, becoming an integral part of national medicine. The focus should shift strongly from a treatment-oriented approach to comprehensive healthcare. The role of TCM in disease prevention, rehabilitation, elderly care, chronic disease treatment, and mental health care should be promoted.

The integration of Eastern and Western medicine in the direction of evidence-based medicine, standardized training, development of medicinal herbs, promotion of digital transformation, and strict quality control are solid foundations for the sustainable development of Vietnamese Traditional Medicine in general and Lam Dong in particular. This will better serve the healthcare needs of the people in the new era.

Lam Dong province aims to develop a comprehensive network of Traditional Medicine (TCM) services from the provincial level to the grassroots by 2030. This includes 100% of hospitals and health centers having TCM departments or activities; 100% of health stations providing TCM services, with at least 80% having TCM doctors or medical practitioners. The province also plans to upgrade the Traditional Medicine Hospital into a TCM General Hospital, combining rehabilitation services and establishing a Geriatrics Department to adapt to the aging population.

The target is to achieve a rate of 25% at the provincial level and 40% at the commune level for examination and treatment using Traditional Medicine combined with modern medicine. Expenditure on herbal medicines and traditional remedies should reach at least 30% of total drug costs; 100% of Traditional Medicine doctors will receive specialized training in evidence-based medicine.

Comprehensive development of the YDCT network.

According to Deputy Director of the Department of Health Trinh Van Quyet, Lam Dong currently has 3 provincial-level specialized hospitals for Traditional Medicine with 600 beds and 100% of commune health stations implementing Traditional Medicine activities. Many techniques combining Traditional Medicine with modern medicine are widely applied, such as acupuncture, electroacupuncture, massage, acupressure, thread embedding, and rehabilitation.

However, the entire sector currently has only 266 Traditional Medicine (TCM) personnel, accounting for 3.1%, mainly concentrated at the provincial level, and there is a shortage at the grassroots level. To overcome this, the health sector is promoting cooperation in training, scientific research, and the development of medicinal herbs to improve the quality of healthcare using TCM combined with modern medicine.

A key breakthrough for Lam Dong province in the 2026-2030 period is the integration of Traditional Medicine with digital transformation and tourism. This includes promoting the application of advanced pharmaceutical technologies to transform traditional remedies into modern products, establishing a nationwide interconnected medicinal plant database system, and operating a telemedicine system. Furthermore, it involves developing medical tourism, piloting a health tourism model linked to Traditional Medicine to provide high-quality services to customers through packages including wellness treatments, acupuncture, rehabilitation, and medicinal cuisine.

The plan focuses on developing medicinal plant cultivation areas on an industrial scale, linked with models of cultivation under forest canopy and ecotourism. According to surveys by scientists, Lam Dong province has 2,291 species of medicinal plants, accounting for nearly 40% of the total number of medicinal plant species nationwide. Among these, 55 rare species are listed in the Vietnam Red Book with high application potential. The entire province of Lam Dong has 89 OCOP (One Commune One Product) products derived from medicinal plants; these distinctive products and OCOP products from medicinal plants will be promoted to the international market.

The coordinated efforts of various departments and agencies are expected to create a core foundation for the sustainable development and breakthroughs of Lam Dong Traditional Medicine in the new phase.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/tu-duy-moi-ve-phat-trien-y-duoc-co-truyen-444235.html