New rules have just come into effect to regulate traditional Chinese medical practices. This includes herbal remedies, acupuncture and other treatments.
A provincial law was passed in 2006 to create The College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario.
Starting today, the self-regulatory body which will now demand that every practitioner register with the college after passing a series of tests or displaying that they have equivalent experience after having seen at least 2,000 patients in the last five years.
The college registrar Emily Cheung says, “Right now, there are no rules or policies and individuals can practice however they choose,” said Cheung. “The public does not know whether a person is qualified or not because anyone can call themselves a traditional Chinese medicine doctor.”
Many current practitioners did not learn their trade at school but rather from elders. An Ad-Hoc Committee to Support Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario, says the new regulations may prevent those who’ve learned from their elders from practising, along with those who have insufficient English skills.
The group is seeking legal action to stop regulation of the traditional treatments.
Chun Yan Li has been practicing here for 25 years but speaks Chinese and Japanese and complains that portions of the test are given in English. “That’s not fair. They should allow two languages. This is Chinese medicine, not Western medicine,” Li said. “It’s very tough for me.”
Emily Cheung says, “If there is anyone lacking official language skills, they have to provide a written plan on how they plan to communicate with patients, hospitals, other health care professionals, and relay information.”
Certification — which will have to be renewed every year in June — is already underway, with 1,000 practitioners having already passed their safety tests and another 1,000 waiting to take the test. Only 30 have failed.
(MM with files from CBC)
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