Photo: VCG

 

A female patient is being treated with traditional Chinese acupuncture. Photo: IC

Graduates from the eight universities of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) will not be affected by the removal from the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS) and will always be qualified for licensing tests, the Ministry of Education said on Tuesday.

In a statement sent to the Global Times on Tuesday, the ministry said that TCM universities are an important part of China's medical colleges and universities, and TCM graduates have the qualifications to attend China's medical licensing examinations according to related laws. This will not change despite being removed from a directory managed by non-governmental organizations.

WDOMS emailed the Global Times on Tuesday, confirming that eight TCM schools have been removed from the directory since November 1.

"This decision has nothing to do with the quality or importance of TCM. Our objective is to provide clearly defined and up-to-date information on medical schools in the generally understood and globally accepted definition of a medical school," the WDOMS told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The Education Ministry's response has not dispelled the misgivings of TCM students and doctors, who said they would not be allowed to attend foreign medical licensing examinations.

The WDOMS is one of the world directories of the World Health Organization. It is highly authoritative and a vital channel for US universities to verify the qualifications of foreign medical students, according to a statement published by the US alumni association of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, that was included in the removal list.

Some graduates of these eight universities have been disqualified from taking the US Medical Licensing Examination because they were no longer treated as medical college graduates but as TCM graduates, a TCM doctor in South China's Guangdong Province who requested anonymity told the Global Times.

"The removal affects graduates of the eight universities who want to go abroad to take medical licensing examinations," the doctor said.

Some Chinese netizens are more concerned about the international reputation of TCM, whose effectiveness and theory have been controversial for a long time. "TCM might not be considered as a science and few foreign students will apply to our universities," one said.

According to screenshots of a reply of the WDOMS online, the eight schools were removed because they do not provide "a complete or full program" necessary for students to apply for a license to practice as a medical doctor or physician.

The Ministry of Education confirmed the positive impact of TCM in the statement and said that reform of TCM education is being boosted to train more related talent.

"TCM's curative effect is getting more support from around the world and I can see more related videos on foreign websites," Cui Yongqiang, a chief physician at the Guang'anmen Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times.

He added that the removal from the directory cannot affect the international reputation of TCM as long as its effectiveness is seen by more patients.