Fostering the ethnic-minority medical tradition
Ethnic-minority medicine forms an important part of the treasure-house of Chinese medicine and pharmacology. Based on investigation, sorting-out and study of medicinal materials, specialists of 35 ethnic minorities out of the total 55 have collected and compiled their own medical compendiums. Ethnic-minority medicine has been developed and is widely used. In1992 the state gave permission for the setting up of centers for the production of a dozen kinds of Mongolian, Tibetan and Uyghur traditional pharmaceutical preparations and over 100 kinds of traditional medicines with the combination of traditional and modern expertise. China has 35 research institutes of ethnic-minority medicine at or above the county level, employing a total of about 1,500 research personnel. In addition, the state has organized the compilation of the Materia Medica of Ethnic Groups in China, listing 396 kinds of Tibetan medicine, 422 kinds of Mongolian medicine, 423 kinds of Uyghur medicine and 400 kinds of Dai medicine in separate volumes. The work is of high scientific value and most authoritative.
The state vigorously supports the building of medical institutions of the ethnic minorities. By the end of 2008, 15 ethnic minorities had their own ethnic-minority-medicine hospitals. There are altogether 191 such hospitals with 8,694 beds across the country. Among them, 70 are Tibetan medicine hospitals, 51 are Mongolian medicine hospitals, 39 are Uyghur medicine hospitals, and 31 are hospitals specializing in the traditional medicine of the Dai, Korean, Zhuang, Miao and Yao peoples. Beginning in 2006, the state has given priority to the construction of 10 key ethnic-minority-medicine hospitals, including those specializing in Tibetan, Mongol, Uyghur, Dai, Korean, Zhuang, Miao and Tujia traditional medicine, aiming at enhancing the overall level of diagnosis and treatment in ethnic-minority-medicine hospitals.
The state has launched specialized education programs on ethnic-minority medicine in 14 educational institutions, and is making great efforts to foster medical specialists of minority peoples. Of the institutions, five are colleges of ethnic-minority medicine, four are secondary schools of ethnic-minority medicine, and five are non-ethnic educational institutions with majors in ethnic-minority medicine. To date, there are 17,000 undergraduates studying in ethnic-minority medical schools all over China, in addition to 3,964 graduates. Six ethnic-minority medicine traditions, namely, those of the Tibetan, Mongolian, Uyghur, Dai, Korean and Zhuang, are included in the National Qualification Examination for Doctors. The number of medical personnel specialized in ethnic-minority medicine has reached 10,000, an important guarantee for the improvement of the physical health of all minority peoples.
