1st Lancang-Mekong forum on traditional medicine held in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- The first Lancang-Mekong forum on traditional medicine was held here in the capital of Cambodia on Thursday, focusing on traditional medicine cooperation and development among Lancang-Mekong countries.

Under the theme "Traditional medicine creates a healthy Lancang-Mekong future", the forum, held in an online-offline hybrid format, was attended by more than 100 medical practitioners from Lancang-Mekong countries.

Wang Xiaopin, secretary of the Party Committee of the Guang'anmen Hospital under the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, said the Lancang-Mekong region has rich and diverse traditional medicine resources and a long history of traditional medicine experience.

"This forum aims to promote exchanges and cooperation among countries in the Lancang-Mekong region in the field of medicine and health, and jointly promote the prosperity and development of traditional medicine," she said in a speech delivered to the forum via a video link from Beijing.

Wang said traditional medicine plays an irreplaceable and important role in improving people's well-being, saying that since ancient times, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been an important part of exchanges and cooperation among countries along the ancient Silk Road.

"The efficacy and role of TCM in preventing and treating common diseases, chronic diseases, and major diseases are increasingly recognized and accepted by the international community," she said.

According to Wang, TCM has spread to 196 countries and regions, and it had made important contributions to the battle against COVID-19, with significant curative effects.

Tan Sokun, director of the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital, said the forum enabled the participants to gain insights into the TCM, which is efficacious in treating a number of diseases.

"A lot of benefits are expected from this forum. Firstly, it creates close contact among participating institutions and secondly, we can gain insights into treatment using TCM," he told Xinhua.

The forum discussed appropriate TCM technology and a traditional medicine standard operating procedure (SOP), he said, adding that it was vital to promote the development of traditional medicine in the Lancang-Mekong countries.

Sokun thanked China for having dispatched its TCM teams to provide free medical checkups and treatment to patients in Cambodia since March 2022.

He added that in a bid to develop the TCM in Cambodia, the China-Cambodia Traditional Chinese Medicine Center was established in Phnom Penh in October this year.

Koeurng Raksmiy, a medical doctor at the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital, said the forum was crucial for medical practitioners to better understand diagnosis and treatment techniques using TCM.

"China has played a very important role in helping train medical staff to understand more about the TCM," he told Xinhua. "All the Lancang-Mekong countries have got a lot of benefits from the Chinese medical aid teams."

Raksmiy said the Chinese TCM teams in Cambodia have offered disease diagnosis and treatment to thousands of patients, including Cambodians, Chinese, and other foreigners.

Fang Zhigang, vice president of the Thai Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Association, said the forum helped Thailand to learn TCM better, contributing further to improving the health services for the Thailand people.

"The medical elements from China, for us in Thailand, can stimulate creativity, further advancing Thailand, improving people's health, and increasing the recognition and understanding of TCM," he told Xinhua.

The one-day forum was jointly organized by the China medical aid team of traditional Chinese medicine for Cambodia, the China-Cambodia Traditional Chinese Medicine Center, the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies, the Guang'anmen Hospital under the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, and the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital.