Document of the CPC

Hainan Provincial Committee

Q.F.〔2020〕No.14

Implementation Opinions of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee and the People's Government of Hainan Province on Facilitating the Inheritance, Innovation and Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Hainan Free Trade Port

(November 2, 2020)

In order to implement guiding principles of the Opinions on Facilitating the Inheritance, Innovation and Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine issued by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, the following opinions have been given to promote the inheritance, innovation and development of traditional Chinese Medicine (hereinafter referred to as “TCM”) across the board in the Hainan Free Trade Port (hereinafter referred to as “the FTP” ); to give full play to the crucial role of  TCM in disease prevention and control, treatment, and rehabilitation; and to make early achievements in the field of TCM during the development process of the FTP.

ⅠDeveloping Modern Industry System of TCM According to Realities of the FTP

1.Openness, innovation,and development of TCM service trade.

Fully leveraging the policy and institutional advantages of the FTP, we should achieve a breakthrough with TCM service trade as a key field for innovation and development of service trade across the province. Efforts should be made to conduct system and mechanism reforms of public TCM institutions, including ones in prices and salaries, to advance public medical institutions in developing TCM service trade, and to ensure equal treatment for all market entities with various types of ownership in business operations and other aspects. Support should be provided for medical colleges and universities as well as TCM institutions to cultivate more TCM talent with international competitiveness, for medical institutions across the province to attract renowned and veteran TCM practitioners and experts, for training in TCM service for overseas personnel, and for developing the FTP into an international TCM training hub. Based on national forums, exhibitions, and conferences, such as the Boao Forum for Asia and China International Consumer Products Expo, an international exchange center for traditional medicine should be built, featuring TCM products at home or abroad, technical services, and traditional medicine of differing countries. TCM services should be covered by the FTP’s list of newly encouraged industries. High-quality TCM enterprises and relevant medical institutions are encouraged to set up overseas TCM service institutions and sales networks in a collaborative way, and their incomes from new overseas direct investment should be covered by preferential policies on income tax according to regulations, in order to attract more enterprises of TCM service trade to develop in the FTP. Efforts should be directed at developing key programs and demonstration bases for TCM service trade with competitiveness, and bright prospects, as well as leading and boosting roles. It is imperative to develop the Sanya Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine into a national export base for TCM services.

Promoting high-tech development of TCM by scientific and research innovations.

It is necessary to dramatically develop the TCM industry in Hainan by fully leveraging the FTP’s preferential policies on tax and its impetus given by scientific innovation. Efforts should be strengthened to attract high-quality resources, such as competitive products, top talent, and great capitals; to bolster technological integration and technical innovation; and to make local TCM enterprises more competitive across the board. It is crucial to intensify efforts to attract leading manufacturing enterprises of TCM at home and abroad to develop in the FTP, in order to expand the local industry. Based on demands for developing the FTP and major scientific issues relating to TCM, a scientific and research platform should be established with multi-discipline integration. We should strive to develop the Hainan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital into a national base for TCM clinical research, and to build a batch of TCM engineering research centers at the provincial level. Provincial Science and technology programs should contribute more to TCM science and research. It is necessary to undertake clinical research on disease prevention and control, such as major, refractory, and local common diseases, as well as emerging infectious diseases; and to investigate new business patterns of healthcare services, including TCM healthcare and healthcare tourism. Based on the Hainan Branch of the Institute of Medical Plant Development of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (IMPLAD), the Hainan Southern Medicine Institute should be established by the Ministry and the Provincial People’s Government in a collaborative way, and efforts should be made to lead southern medicine research in China by striving to set up a core innovative base for southern medicine science and technology at the national level.

Integrated and innovative development of TCM healthcare tourism. 

Based on the mission of  advancing the FTP into an international tourism and consumption center, it is imperative to deeply integrate tourism with TCM philosophies featuring ecological conservation, green and health, so as to create new business forms and models of TCM healthcare tourism with Hainan’s characteristics. Industrial parks, such as the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone and Nanping Health Industry Park, are encouraged to develop TCM healthcare industry, and the support should be offered to build culture and tourism industry parks with local TCM characteristics, such as Yanfeng Agarwood Health Industry Park. Public hospitals across the province are encouraged to expand services and establish healthcare centers where people can enjoy their leisure or vacations. A batch of TCM healthcare resorts are encouraged to be built with social capitals, mainly providing TCM healthcare services. For tourism destinations and hotels, they are encouraged to employ professional TCM personnel and provide TCM healthcare services for tourists. Travel agencies are encouraged to cooperate with TCM institutions on integrating TCM into services relating to sightseeing, leisure activities, and vacation. Additionally, efforts should be made to promote the TCM services at home or abroad, in order to ensure that Hainan has a reputation as a TCM healthcare tourism destination.

ⅠⅠEstablishing High-quality TCM Service System According to Demands for Developing the FTP

Enhancing the construction of TCM service institutions. 

Efforts should be made to develop the Hainan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital into a regional TCM hub in China. TCM hospitals in Haikou, Sanya, Danzhou, Qionghai and Qiongzhong, should be developed into regional TCM centers by improving relevant basic facilities and capacities. For all TCM institutions at the county level, their standardized construction should be completed. According to the development rules of TCM, all county TCM institutions should establish standardized departments, refine operation models and services by focusing on TCM, and improve modern hospital administration systems with TCM characteristics. By 2022, the entire province should be covered by TCM institutions affiliated with county governments. 

Promoting TCM at comprehensive and specialized hospitals. Special efforts should be made to promote TCM at comprehensive and specialized hospitals. For all comprehensive hospitals at the secondary level or above, maternal and child health care hospitals with favorable conditions, and specialized hospitals, a TCM department and a TCM pharmacy should be established according to relevant regulations, and their TCM departments, first-class clinical departments, should provide TCM services, including Chinese herbal decoction pieces, Chinese patent medicines, acupuncture, and TCM massage. The province will support comprehensive hospitals, maternal and child health care hospitals, and specialized hospitals to become national demonstration units in the field of TCM.

Consolidating grassroots TCM services. 

More efforts should be made to improve TCM services at the grassroots level, to ensure that building TCM hospitals will be covered by standardized construction of grassroots medical institutions, to develop grassroots promotion bases for TCM-appropriate technology across the province, and to improve training mechanisms for general practitioners and rural doctors in terms of TCM knowledge and techniques. The province will  increase the number of TCM students cultivated for rural areas without charge, create special jobs for grassroots TCM practitioners, and make it easier for TCM practitioners who have worked at the grassroots level for long to be promoted. In areas with medical alliances or county medical communities,  TCM hospitals at the secondary level or above should play a leading role in establishing medical alliances or county medical communities, and find a way for TCM personnel “to be employed at the county level and to work at the village level.” By 2022, TCM services should be offered by all community health service institutions, all township health centers, and over 70% of village clinics.

7. Speeding up the development of private TCM institutions. The province will support social capitals to run TCM institution chains, as well as outpatient departments or clinics merely providing TCM services. Qualified medical personnel in employment or on unpaid leave are allowed to set up medical institutions merely providing TCM services. TCM alliances are encouraged to be jointly established by public TCM hospitals and private TCM institutions. Efforts will be made to make government purchases of services, such as family doctor contract services, from private TCM institutions, TCM outpatient departments, etc. Profit-seeking private TCM institutions should be covered by tax preferential policies for small and micro enterprises, including small medical institutions such as TCM outpatient departments and TCM clinics.

8.Providing information supply for advancing service systems. 

New medical service models should be developed dramatically, including remote TCM services, mobile medical care, and intelligent medical care. Online TCM hospitals are encouraged to be developed based on medical institutions (including TCM outpatient departments and relevant clinics) across the province. Efforts should be made to promote integrated services both online and offline, and to give play to the role of TCM in Internet services for disease prevention and health care. Based on provincial cloud service for administrative affairs and provincial sharing and exchange platform for big data, it is imperative to develop TCM information center at the provincial level, and to provide health services of “Internet + TCM.” The province should intensify efforts to bolster information development for hospitals with TCM electronic medical records and prescriptions as the core.

ⅠⅠⅠ Leveraging unique TCM advantages in disease prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation

Focusing on TCM advantages in disease treatment.  

TCM service capacities should be improved based on the development of key specialties and disciplines. Hospitals at all levels should  establish complete TCM department systems, determine development directions, and advance with impetus given by competitive departments, according to principles of “ leveraging advantages, developing key areas, and making breakthroughs.” Efforts should be made to prepare for pairing assistance for TCM institutions across the province offered by national key specialized hospitals, and to establish a batch of TCM key disciplines and specialized departments at the provincial level or above. By 2022, each county-level TCM hospital should have more than one TCM key (featured) specialized departments. Effective mechanisms should be established, in order to give full play to the TCM in response to emerging infectious diseases and public health emergencies.

10. Giving play to the leading role of TCM in disease prevention. 

According to the development progress of the FTP, more efforts should be made to advance trials of reforms and innovations in TCM preventing diseases, and to improve the relevant system at the provincial level. All of the TCM hospitals at the secondary level or above should establish a department (center) for disease prevention. It is imperative to make and refine a list of TCM services for disease prevention, manage the services based on relevant categories and levels, accelerate the review process for TCM services of disease prevention, and release pricing policies timely. Non-health technical personnel are permitted to offer disease prevention services in medical institutions. The province should intensify efforts to publicize TCM health care knowledge and approaches, such as infantile massage, moxibustion therapy, cupping jar, scrapping therapy, and Tai Chi boxing; and popularize healthy ways of working and living with the TCM philosophy of disease prevention. For enterprises providing TCM health care services, their registered business scope should be “TCM health care services (with non-medical purposes),” and the administration for TCM institutions offering health care services should be further standardized. 

11.Emphasizing the core role of TCM in rehabilitation. 

It is crucial to integrate TCM, modern rehabilitation technologies, and unique climate conditions in Hainan, in order to create TCM rehabilitation services with Hainan’s characteristics. TCM rehabilitation capacities should be improved across the province, and  by 2022, all tertiary TCM hospitals and over 50% of the secondary ones should have set up rehabilitation departments, and all rehabilitation hospitals should provide TCM services. The province will support community health service institutions and township health centers to offer rehabilitation services with TCM characteristics in TCM clinics. In order to attract medical tourists, a batch of rehabilitation protocols should be formulated and publicized, targeting patients rehabilitated better in Hainan, such as those with senile, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases. TCM rehabilitation technologies should be popularized among communities, households, and institutions.

IV Improving the Quality of traditional Chinese drugs (TCDs) and Ensuring their Safety and Efficacy

Enhancing quality control of Chinese medicinal materials (CMMs). 

Efforts should be made to accelerate the advancement of Dao-di herbs in Hainan, to conduct research on local Dao-di herbs, and to promote the development for a batch of selected tropical Dao-di herbs. It is crucial to establish a national germplasm repository of CCMs, seed and seeding breeding bases, and a provincial-level TCDs system of dynamic monitoring and information services, so as to obtain dynamic monitoring information relating to traditional Chinsese medicines and CCMs from the market.In order to promote the large-scale planting in a standardized manner, the province will support domestic enterprises of TCDs and TCM institutions to jointly build CCM production bases based on orders in the cities or counties, such as Baisha, Qiongzhong, Wuzhishan, and Tunchang. After evaluation, a batch of Dao-di herb bases will be designated as the provincial-level ones for high-quality breeding and ecological planting. By 2022,  a number of big-brand TCDs should be created with large-scale planting, highly developed industrial chains, and advanced technologies, in order to develop local brands of TCDs with tropical characteristics.

Mainly developing resources such as southern and aromatic medicines.

Fully leveraging the unique tropical climate resources in Hainan, the province will undertake research into southern medicines, aromatic medicines, Li medicines, and marine drugs, and will also center its work on relevant conservation, exploitation, and utilization. Work on Xinglong Southern Medicine Garden is progressing, so as to protect and utilize relevant germplasm resources better. Efforts should be made to  survey marine drug resources, and to develop marine drug and functional foods. The province will support the advancement of aromatic medicine industry, such as agarwood; encourage growers to plant high-quality agarwood in a concentrated way; publicize artificial production technologies of agarwood and Dalbergia odorifera; improve the aromatic medicine standard, related brands, and relevant trade system; develop an industrial system integrating medicinal material planting, processing, trading, health care, product R&D, manufacturing, leisure activities, and tourism; and ensure that Hainan will earn a reputation of “aromatic island” globally.

Improving the quality of Chinese herbal decoction pieces and Chinese patent medicines. 

The province will support more in-depth research on  the standards of processing traditional Chinese herbal decoction pieces, and formulate the provincial-level standards. Intensified efforts will be made to make TCM production process standardized and modernized, boost the application of intellectual property rights relating to TCM knowledge and to create large TCD groups and an industrial cluster. The province will make more evaluations on marketed Chinese patent medicines. Relevant enterprises are encouraged to establish innovative research and development centers for TCDs, and efforts should be made to study and develop competitive drugs as well as TCM classic prescriptions and complex ones, to further improve hospital preparations, and to create relevant big brands. By 2022,  for southern medicines, Li medicines, and Chinese patent medicines, their contribution to a provincial gross output value of medicine should account for over 12%. 

Reforming and refining TCD registration and administration. 

A registration and administration system for TCDs should be established, based on TCM characteristics and demands for developing the FTP. TCM should be covered by trials of achievement transfer and transformation relating to the major science and technology project “Major New Drug Creation” in Hainan, and new TCDs should be created based on medical institution preparations, classic prescriptions, southern medicines, Li medicines, and marine drugs. The province will support medical institutions to dispense or use TCD preparations, and back the development of regional centers for medical institution preparations. Local manufacturers of Chinese patent medicines improve marketed TCDs by new technologies, new techniques, and new formulations with clinical application competitiveness. Efforts should be made to optimize and standardize TCD preparation registration and administration for medical institutions; to dispense TCD preparations made by medical institutions in a coordinated way across the province, according to regulations; and to  make TCD preparations produced by institutions in other provinces available in Hainan. 

16. Strengthening the regulation of TCD quality and safety. Based on regulating Chinese herbal decoction pieces, efforts should be made to supervise all sections of the industrial chain, to ensure that TCD manufacturers will fulfill their principal responsibility, to establish a mechanism for multiple departments to monitor in a coordinated manner. The province will set up a traceability system for medical products, such as TCDs, Chinese herbal decoction pieces, and Chinese patent medicines, to cover the whole process, including production, distribution, and consumption. It will take about 5 years to make major TCDs traceable and relevant responsibilitie clear. By developing the credit system for TCD enterprises, the National Credit Information Sharing Platform and the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System will cover all manufacturers relating to Chinese herbal decoction pieces and Chinese patent medicines across the province, according to the national planning. With strict law enforcement, intensified efforts will be made to ensure that people producing and selling false and inferior TCDs are held accountable for their actions.

V Cultivating more TCM talent based on the laws of development

The province will ensure the smooth transition from education in TCM universities and colleges to post-graduate education and then to continuing education, and develop the TCM talent training system with thorough master-apprentice education. TCM personnel are encouraged to take  the national TCM classics test, and the test results may be the quantitative indexes for bringing on talent and  title appraisal. Practitioners with Western medicine are encouraged to learn TCM, and clinical physicians are allowed to offer TCM services or be eligible for title evaluation of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine after passing the test. Personnel of traditional Chinese and Western medicine are permitted to participate in TCM title appraisal and standardized training courses for clinical general practitioners.

Promoting the development of the training platform for TCM talent. 

Using available TCM education resources across the country, the province will establish TCM universities and colleges, or suggest those in other provinces to operate in Hainan, in order to fill the gaps. Intensified efforts will be made to cultivate talent  with good skills, practical abilities, or service capacities in the fields of CMM planting, TCD processing, and TCM healthcare services, so as to provide talent supply for the development of TCM industry in Hainan.

Promoting personal growth and development. 

Based on relevant disciplines and specialized departments, major science and research platforms, and major projects, Efforts should be made to cultivate a group of highly skilled TCM clinical talent and innovative TCM talent playing a leading role in multi-discipline area, and to build innovative teams consisting of high-level TCM personnel. The province should pay more attention to cultivating a hard core of TCM clinicians, TCM general practitioners, grassroots TCM talent, talent with professional skills, and TCM administration personnel. More efforts should also be made to refine approaches for assessing personnel specializing in TCM, to train TCM (specialized) practitioners, to supervise the licensed ones, to support TCM hospitals in creating jobs for TCM (specialized) practitioners, and to promote the inheritance and development of TCM techniques with folk characteristics.

Enhancing TCM master-apprentice education. 

The province will establish a system for TCM master-apprentice education, and make that kind of education normal and institutional. Efforts should be made to build working places for renowned and experienced TCM experts in TCM hospitals at all levels across the province. A master-apprentice education system should be created for experienced TCM practitioners, and their title and performance assessment will be impacted by the number and performance of their apprentices.  It is imperative to attract and encourage renowned and experienced TCM experts and those working at the grassroots level for a long to cultivate a hard core of various TCM practitioners through the master-apprentice model.

21. Improving talent evaluation and incentive mechanisms. For public TCM medical institutions, their salary system should be refined. Efforts should be made to reform and improve the evaluation and employment system for TCM practitioners, and to assess the personnel by capacities and performance. The relevant personnel should not be judged merely by educational background, working experience, and papers. TCM talent should be supported in awards for all kinds of high-level talent across the province. The province should establish an incentive system for TCM talent, award renowned TCM practitioners at the provincial level and young ones, and promote young and middle-aged talent and inheritors.

VII Developing TCM into Cultural Consciousness for the Public to Improve Health Conditions by Inheriting the Best 

22.Inheriting the best part of TCM. 

Taking full advantage of  TCM classics and the available literature, we should research and ancient and modern TCM experts’ academic thoughts, clinical experience and unique diagnosis techniques, and then  compile and publish relevant books. The province should promote the development of TCM museums, open TCM exhibits at museums, such as the provincial museum and the China (Hainan) Museum of the South China Sea, and build a provincial TCM museum and a TDC museum. Efforts should be made to popularize TCM culture, to ensure that the public is educated about TCM culture for life, and to develop TCM into cultural consciousness for the public to improve health conditions.

Accelerating research into local ethic medicine and drugs, such as Li and Miao ethnic groups. 

The economic and social development plan for ethic areas should cover medicine and drugs of Li and Miao ethnic groups in Hainan, in order to speed up relevant research, protection, and advancement. For Li and Miao’s medical resources, they should be studied and protected by systematically researching and compiling the available literature and techniques of folk medicine. Ethical medical institutions may be established in cities or counties with favorable conditions, or ethical medical departments may be set up in TCM medical institutions. Traditional medicine should be regarded as a category when applied for provincial intangible cultural heritage status, and ethic and folk medicine are encouraged to be included in the lists of intangible cultural heritage at all levels. 

VII Establishing a Mechanism to Ensure TCM Inheritance and Innovation Based on Reforms

Refining TCM policies on pricing and medical insurance. 

When adjusting medical service prices, it is imperative to thoroughly consider the services requiring skills or techniques, such as TCM services. The province should improve payment methods for medical insurance to meet TCM demands, strive to enable patients to pay for TCM treatment of a single disease under certain conditions (diseases better treated by TCM or those with clear treatment protocols and fixed fees), and set proper prices. The payment reform of TCM disease prevention may be conducted. Public hospitals are encouraged to trade in TCM services and to set the prices on their own. Qualified TCM medical institutions should be covered by medical insurance timely, and more reimbursement should be allocated to designated TCM medical institutions. Additionally, according to regulations, some TCM services and TCDs should be covered by medical insurance as well. The province should raise the reimbursement rate of hospitalization, encourage the public to receive TCM services, reimburse expenses of TCM services as outpatient affairs (including outpatient chronic diseases) in a coordinated way, and not set special reimbursement limitations for TCM service.

Improve the mechanism of fund supply. 

The province should establish a diversified funding mechanism for TCM development with sustainability and stability, raise funds for the TCM industry from government finances at all levels, improve TCM operation conditions, and provide more high-quality services. Based on the Overall Plan for the Government-Guided Investment Fund of the Hainan Free Trade Port, social capitals are encouraged to set up private equity funds with market operation patterns, in order to support the development of the Hainan TCM industry. Commercial insurance institutions may be guided to invest TCM service industry.

26.Refining TCM administration system. 

According to relevant regulations, the TCM administration system should be established and improved. All cities and counties should determine organs playing a role in TCM administration, and rationally appoint personnel. The province should integrate resources from all public institutions relating to the health industry, create new administration mechanisms, provide exchange and commercial expansion platforms for TCM medical institutions, institutes, and enterprises, and promote the development of the local TCM industry. Regulation mechanisms for TCM services should be refined, and in-event and post-event regulation should be enhanced.

27.Strengthening organization and implementation. 

The implementation of this document should be taken into consideration when assessing the performance of the Party committees, the people’s governments, and affiliated departments at the municipal or county level. Based on reality, all cities and counties should take measures to implement the guiding principles, take trials in TCM services, such as service models, industrial development, and quality monitoring, and strive to be titled “a national demonstration zone for TCM all-round reform.” Major media outlets across the province should make intensified efforts to publicize TCM culture, to popularize TCM disease prevention and treatment in a standardized manner, and to create an atmosphere in society to cherish, love, and develop TCM.

(This document is disclosed to the public)

中共海南省委办公厅                      2020年11月2日印发

The General Office of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee

November 2, 2020