Singapore's Health Ministry will put 5 million Singapore dollars (about 3.68 million U.S. dollars) in a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) research grant and spend another five million dollars to establish a new TCM development grant, Channel NewsAsia reported on Wednesday.
Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State for Health, was quoted as saying that the TCM research grant was set up in 2014 and used for collaborative research on prevalent chronic conditions in Singapore. It had seen "good progress" so far, he said.
The newly-injected fund will support collaborations between researchers in public healthcare institutions, TCM industry players and institutes of higher learning over the next five years, according to the Senior Minister.
He added that the ministry has expanded the scope of the TCM research grant to cover research into traditional Chinese exercises such as taiji, therapies like tuina and the use of TCM herbs in preventing diseases and improving patient outcomes.
About the new TCM development grant, Chee said it will co-fund the training and development of registered TCM professionals, provide funding to accredited TCM course providers and support TCM clinics in adopting technology.
Chee also announced that the government intends to make it compulsory for TCM practitioners to undergo a structured continuous education programme by the TCM Practitioner's Board yearly to have their practising certificates renewed.
