China expects to see over 1 million TCM personnel by 2025

BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- By 2025, the number of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) personnel in China's medical and healthcare institutions will surpass 1 million, according to a TCM-related talent development plan.

The workforce of TCM healthcare services will grow steadily, and people's demand for such services will be basically fulfilled by then, said the plan issued by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The number of TCM practicing physicians (physician assistants) will reach 0.62 per 1,000 people as of 2025, and the amount of high-caliber TCM professionals will continuously increase, said the plan.

By then, all the community-based healthcare centers in urban areas and over 80 percent of village-level clinics in rural areas will be capable of providing TCM-related services, according to the plan.