HONG KONG, -- In 2019, the HKSAR Government officially launched the Chinese Medicine Development Fund (CMDF) to promote the development and elevate the overall standards of the Chinese medicine (CM) sector in Hong Kong. Starting from today, the CMDF will host a four-day Showcase Event at Olympian City II, featuring a range of interactive activities in a combination of learn and play, to promote Chinese medicine and enhance citizens' understanding on CM culture and effectiveness, and showcase the achievements of the CMDF over the past four years.

Today's opening ceremony marks the beginning of a series of activities at the event. During the event, there will be various informative and practical CM seminars and workshops. Among others, a workshop organised by a funded project grantees invited to host a workshop regarding traditional paediatric massage therapy in CM, which registered CM practitioners will demonstrate and tell the application of the therapy in treating common paediatric diseases. Participants may also join other workshops to experience traditional CM therapies such as cupping, ear acupressure, herbal mosquito repelling oil preparation and Chinese herbal medicines cultivation. Additionally, through seminars, attendees can know more about postpartum care in CM, prevention of common lifestyle diseases, safety in Chinese medicines usage, osteoarthritis, childhood autism, and acupoints.

In response to the increasing attention on application of advanced technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of CM, a funded project grantee will hold a "Secondary School Chinese Medicine Friendly Debate Competition" during the event for deliberation of the issue. The event will also feature interactive games, snapshot locations and personalised WhatsApp sticker-making booth, which are suitable for participants of all ages to enhance their understanding of CM knowledge and culture and explore the fun of Chinese medicine culture together (See Annex I for the timeslot and details of the activities).

Officiating the CMDF Showcase Event, Dr Libby LEE, the Under Secretary for Health of the HKSAR Government, said, "The Government has been devoted in promoting the high quality development of CM in Hong Kong on all fronts, aiming to leverage the unique advantages of CM in Hong Kong and align with the Construction Plan for the CM Highlands in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as the national CM development direction. In recent years, the Government has gone extra mile and allocated more resources to implement various initiatives, including the establishment of the first dedicated fund specifically for supporting the development of CM. The Government has launched some 10 funding schemes through the CMDF, covering a wide funding scope and benefitting different stakeholders in the CM sector. The CMDF has become an important platform for collaboration between the Government and CM academia and sector in promoting the development of CM. It is also a vital policy measure to facilitate continuous industry development, industry standards enhancement and public education on CM. It is hoped that the CMDF can play a greater role in supporting the development of Chinese Medicine in Hong Kong."

The CMDF is supervised by the Chinese Medicine Unit of the Health Bureau and implemented by HKPC. By funding projects related to talent nurturing, enhancement of CM clinic facilities, improvement of proprietary Chinese medicines (pCm) production techniques, research and promotion on CM etc., the CMDF aims to support stakeholders in the CM industry at different levels. As of the end of February 2024, the CMDF has approved over 7,700 applications, benefitting over 2.15 million individuals/organisations. To facilitate the CM sector and general public in accessing CM-related information, the CMDF has launched a new all-in-one website that integrates the existing webpages and CM resources platform, as to provide exhaustive information on Chinese medicine.

Professor Douglas SO, Chairman of the Advisory Committee of the CMDF stated, "As the Chairman of the Advisory Committee, I would like to express special gratitude to the Government for the firm support on the development of CM.  With the allocation of total of HK$ 1 billion, CMDF has launched over 10 funding schemes to support the diversified needs of stakeholders in the CM sector and work together with the industry to promote the development of CM in Hong Kong. Looking ahead, the CMDF will follow the Government's strategic policies to commission organisations for large-scale training, promotion, and research projects on specified themes and more industry enhancement programmes to contribute to the development of Chinese medicine."

Hon Sunny TAN, Chairman of HKPC, said, "As the implementer of the CMDF and the secretariat of 10 Government funding schemes, HKPC has been committed to assisting small and medium enterprises and startups by providing timely Government funding information. In promoting the development of CM, we actively cooperate with national policy, leverage the unique advantages of Hong Kong, and empower the industry with innovation and technology (I&T). We strengthen the collaboration among the Government, industry, academic, and research sectors to accelerate the development of new productive forces. We promote the development of new productive forces and new industrialisation through I&T, with one major focus being the upgrading and transformation of traditional industries. HKPC utilises I&T to drive the transformation of the traditional Chinese medicine industry, turning traditional products into intelligent ones. While developing new productive forces, we strongly encourage the CM industry to move towards high-end, green, and intelligent production, promoting and preserving the profound cultural heritage of CM that has spanned thousands of years."

The CMDF is delighted to see the Government's measures in supporting the development of CM industry in the Budget, such as the accelerated development of CM hospital and the establishment of the Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute. The CMDF will continue to contribute to the development of CM in Hong Kong, aligning with the Government's policy direction and promoting a more significant role for CM in the healthcare system so as to benefit more citizens.