Ontario Closer To Regulating Traditional Chinese Medicine

 

New York
August 04, 2005

TORONTO –Ontario has moved closer to regulating traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and acupuncture with the release of a public consultation report, Health and Long-Term Care Minister George Smitherman announced today.

The consultation report was written by Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Research and Innovation, Tony Wong, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Mike Colle, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health Promotion, Peter Fonseca and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, Richard Patten.

"We have promised to regulate traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, and hope to introduce legislation by the end of the year," Smitherman said. "The work done by Tony Wong and his colleagues is going to be invaluable in helping us decide how best to proceed."

The report contains 10 recommendations on the regulation of TCM and acupuncture including:

• Creating a regulatory college for TCM
• Establishing different classes of TCM practitioners, based on level of education, acquired competencies and experience
• Limiting the performance of acupuncture to qualified, regulated practitioners, and;
• Designating as herbalists a class of TCM practitioners who use Chinese herbal medicines within the context of traditional Chinese medicine.

The MPPs began their consultations in March and heard from representatives from TCM organizations, practitioners of TCM and acupuncture, regulated health professionals, health regulatory colleges and members of the public. They listened to almost 100 presentations and received more than 200 written submissions.

"We heard many different viewpoints but the general consensus is that public safety is paramount and we must put in place a system to protect the public," Wong said. "Traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture have been practised for countless years and benefited many, and people want to make sure there is a high level of competence guaranteed in the practitioner they are seeing."

This initiative is part of the McGuinty government's plan to build a health care system that delivers on three priorities - keeping Ontarians healthy, reducing wait times and providing better access to doctors and nurses.

See also: Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council