Integrate Traditional And Modern Medicine In Healthcare, Says PM

KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the time has come for traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) to be optimally integrated into the Malaysian healthcare system.
This was necessary to achieve a holistic approach towards enhancing the health and quality of life of the people, the prime minister said.
He said the government had taken several steps towards the integration, including the plan to introduce a T&CM bill which would, among others, require the registration of all its practitioners.
"The T&CM bill is expected to be passed in 2008," he said at the opening of the 6th International Conference on Traditional and Complementary Medicine (Intracom) and 3rd International Congress on Traditional Medicine & Materia Medica (ICTMMM) here.
His speech was delivered by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.
Abdullah said that as a pilot project, the government had approved the formation of integrated hospitals which would see the introduction of herbal preparation, acupuncture and traditional massage in three selected hospitals, namely Kepala Batas Hospital in Penang, Pandan Hospital in Johor and Putrajaya Hospital.
The prime minister called on local researchers to take advantage of Malaysia's rich biodiversity to find new herbal formulations.
"Twenty-five per cent of modern medicines are made from plants first used traditionally. Malaysia, endowed with a rich tropical biodiversity, has the potential to be an important source of raw materials for new herbal formulations and novel chemical entities," he added.
However, he said, the pursuit of this natural wealth should be done in a way that would not cause a threat to the biodiversity
"Plants of proven medicinal value must be cultivated and conserved to ensure their sustainable use," said Abdullah.