The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practices of inspection, listening and smelling, questioning, and pulse-taking are not at odds with modern medicine. TCM treatments are increasingly being incorporated into Singapore’s public healthcare system.
NHG Health will launch an integrative medicine programme at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and Woodlands Hospital, providing more than 8,000 TCM treatments for seniors with low or no income.
The five-year Ngee Ann Kongsi Programme for Integrative Medicine Excellence has received $10 million in funding from Ngee Ann Kongsi to advance the integration of Chinese and Western medicine through care, training and research.
Eligible seniors with low incomes or no income will be able to receive TCM treatments at reduced or no cost at NHG Health’s Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and Woodlands Hospital.
NHG Health signed a memorandum of understanding with Ngee Ann Kongsi at the Tan Tock Seng Hospital Integrated Care Hub on Friday (30 October). Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung attended the signing ceremony as the guest of honour.
The programme will fund about 800 TCM treatments in its first year, with the number gradually increasing to 2,400 treatments annually by the fifth year. According to NHG Health, acupuncture is the main TCM treatment currently approved for use in hospitals, while some outpatients can also receive cupping therapy.
To develop professionals familiar with both Chinese and Western medicine, the group plans to provide training for doctors, nurses, therapists and TCM practitioners at its hospitals and polyclinics, as well as opportunities for overseas learning and exchanges. The first batch of 12 healthcare professionals will take local TCM courses to learn about acupuncture.
One in five adults in Singapore consults a TCM practitioner each year, and nearly 40% of them receive both Chinese and Western medical treatment.
In his speech, NHG Health’s deputy group chief executive officer Professor Chin Jing Jih said the programme was expected to benefit thousands of low-income seniors. “Consider a senior recovering from a stroke. Alongside physiotherapy, acupuncture can be administered to help ease their pain and improve their movement, potentially reducing their reliance on medications.”
In an interview, Chin added that acupuncture could also help relieve symptoms such as insomnia, constipation and fatigue.
“We know that many of our patients are actually taking TCM on their own, but they don't tend to tell the Western doctors because they are afraid. Then we find that sometimes the drugs don't seem to have that desired effect... so it is probably better to bring it in the open. There is also the cultural acceptance of many patients, especially the seniors, who believe in Chinese medicine.”
People aged 60 and above can currently use up to $400 a year from MediSave to pay for acupuncture to treat lower back and neck pain at public hospitals’ specialist outpatient clinics.
Chin said Ngee Ann Kongsi’s donation would further help low-income seniors access a wider range of TCM treatments, with subsidy levels determined by patients’ financial means.
Rehabilitation combined with acupuncture helps stroke patient regain facial muscle function
Chen Huangping, 53, suffered a sudden stroke while travelling on a bus last month. He experienced a severe headache and weakness on the left side of his body, and began drooling.
After surgery, Chen was transferred to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital Integrated Care Hub. From 19 October, he received eight sessions of acupuncture alongside rehabilitation.
“After the first acupuncture session, I felt the muscle function on the left side of my face return, and the drooling stopped too. The effect was very clear. When my mother had a stroke more than 20 years ago, she gradually recovered with acupuncture, so after my stroke, my wife also wanted me to have acupuncture.”
The programme will also fund up to six research projects by NHG Health in collaboration with academic institutions and TCM organisations, focusing on the role of TCM in areas such as rehabilitation, eldercare and palliative care.
Chin said the key to advancing integrative medicine was to help more Western-trained doctors understand TCM and adopt a more receptive and open attitude towards its treatments.
