Traditional Chinese Medicine centre in Hradec Králové closing

A clinic of traditional Chinese medicine operating within the Hradec Králové hospital in eastern Bohemia since September 2015 will close at the end of February.

A spokesman for the centre, which has treated thousands for chronic pain through acupuncture and other Chinese techniques, said current legislation did not allow for it to continue operating at the site. But he said its work would be carried on elsewhere by the Traditional Chinese Medicine Endowment Fund.

Minister of Health Miloslav Ludvík (Social Democrats) has said traditional Chinese medicine can become an appropriate supplement to Western treatments and to modern medical approaches.

The Czech Medical Chamber and other professional medical groups have lobbied against giving traditional Chinese medicine the same standing and criticised having such a centre located within a state hospital.

Author: Brian Kenety