25 July 1999

Fighting for a Voice for Chinese Medicine Practitioners
( ¡§Letter to Hong Kong¡¨, Radio Television Hong Kong)

(Keywords:- Chinese Medicine, legislature, registration, medical functional constituency)

          In the usual end-of-term culture, the Legislative Council went through a three-day marathon session. Amongst the bills passed was the Chinese Medicine Bill which sets the framework for registering Chinese medicine practitioners, ending some 100 years of neglect in Hong Kong of this Chinese treasure -- a traditional form of health care that has been well tried out and shown its worth for thousands of year and have proven its popularity in places where Chinese conglomerate.

          It is not exactly easy to come this far. Much effort has been put in by many parties concerned -- the profession, the Hong Kong government then and now, and the Western medicine practitioners.

Chinese medicine development on the right track

          In as early as the 80s, some senior members of the medical profession and I have been urging the Chinese medicine practitioners to seriously consider pressing Government to introduce proper registration.

          Nothing active took place. Yet, the stage is set that the future  development of health care service must be a cooperation of Western medicine practitioners and Chinese medicine practitioners, each doing their part and yet working towards the same goal of ¡§protecting health of the public¡¨.

          In 1989, an unfortunate incident happened -- there was loss of life from the ingestion of wrong herbs. Government woke up all too late that some control and regulation for Chinese medicine practitioners and Chinese medicine (herbs and patent) is imminently needed. A working group was thus set up.

Co-operation between Western and Chinese medicine

          In the meantime, the Basic Law was promulgated and in it specified that Chinese medicine must be properly developed.

          Chinese medicine started to assume importance in  other parts of the world -- notably Germany, the United States and Australia.

          The recent Harvard Report on health care reform has criticised that Chinese medicine is not given its proper place in the spectrum of health care.

          Western medicine practitioners are using Chinese medicine methods -- acupuncture of various forms, herbal medicine for cancer supplement etc. Some forms of cooperation between Chinese medicine practitioners and Western medicine practitioners must be already in the pipeline.

          The passage of the Chinese Medicine Bill must be considered as setting the stage for an even better rapport.

Fighting for a voice in the legislature

          With registration status, rightly so, the Chinese medicine practitioners should have a voice in our legislature. It was therefore not unreasonable that they requested to take up one of the two seats in the next legislature to be vacated upon the dismantle of the municipal councils.

          Regrettably, this did not win enough support within the LegCo.

          As an alternative, and as Chinese medicine is a health care profession, perhaps including Chinese medicine practitioners into the existing Medical Functional Constituency may well be a way forward. Any disagreement amongst these two groups could well be solved before passing to Government and to the legislature. More, together,  Chinese medicine practitioners and Western medicine practitioners could push for any health care reform fitted to this population.

          But, life is never that rosy.

Government opposition irrational

          As a start, Government is initially against this idea, stating that there might not be sufficient time for voters registration for Chinese medicine practitioners. However, it must be the prerogative of Government who have the full responsibility to make the passed laws take effect. In fact, there was a former example of Government¡¦s own doing. In 1993, the Chiropractors Registration Bill was passed. In 1995, the chiropractors were placed into the Health Care Functional Constituency. Alas, until now, no voter exist under this category because the registration process has not taken effect.

Disappointed response from Western medicine practitioners

          The members of the Medical Functional Constituency (which consisting doctors and dentists) are even more vehement. Within a week of announcing my intention to include Chinese medicine practitioners into the medical functional constituency, objection was heard loud and clear. Regrettably, those who support the issued belonged to the silent overwhelming majority.

          Whatever the reasons behind these groups of opposition, be it political or otherwise, is unknown. The benefit of the wider  context of Chinese medicine practitioners and Western medicine practitioners working together for the common good was conveniently forgotten. Instead it was blurred by the uncalled fear that thousands of Chinese medicine practitioners could come to Hong Kong, swamping the voters registration and thus the western medicine practitioners. Fear that untrained, untested, unvetted personnel are allowed to stand as partners with Western medicine practitioners and more, disregarding the fact that a law is now in place to stringently control the registration of Chinese medicine practitioners based on an acceptable practising standard.

          If the whole movement is a political motive against myself, I am more than willing to swallow and bear the consequence. Regrettably, the whole issue leads to widen rather than closing the gap between Western medicine practitioners and Chinese medicine practitioners. Years of work in establishing the very difficult and improving partnership are now down the drain.

Reasons for withdrawal of amendment

          With a heavy heart and the greatest sadness, I had to withdraw the amendment for three reasons:

1) Adverse reaction and discontent from a sector of my constituents.

2) The request from the Hong Kong Medical Association Council to withdraw my amendment.

3) The worry that if I insist on bringing the amendment forward and do pass (which is very likely), then further conflict between Chinese medicine practitioners and Western medicine practitioners may persist which is to nobody¡¦s interest.

Apology to Chinese medicine practitioners

          To the Chinese medicine practitioners, I sincerely apologise and thank them for their indulgence. Many have gracefully given me their mandate to move one way or the other.

Unfair accusations against my integrity

          Yet, the trouble is not over by any degree. Government at the eleventh hour attempted to introduce a similar amendment to this Bill, similar to what I have put up. Whatever is the reason behind it must be for Government to explain. Regrettably, sinister accusation against me has come from some sectors, including LegCo colleagues, accusing me of horse trading with Government; accusing me of dirty play and that knowing Government will introduce the amendment, I conveniently withdraw mine as a show.

          This is downright unfair, a humiliation to my integrity. I have categorically stated my reasons for withdrawal, nothing more nothing less.

Lessons to be learnt

          The introduction and withdrawal of my amendment, though heavily upset a lot of people within and outside the LegCo, could bring on a few lessons to be learnt:-

1) There is still a lot of misunderstanding and conflict between the Western medicine practitioners and Chinese medicine practitioners.

2) Politics is a complicated and an ugly issue. Irrespective of your sincerity, if you could be used in any occasion as a political pawn, you will be so victimised.

Solutions ahead

          How do we solve this saga, this conflict to bind the health care providers in moving our health care forward?

1) I do hope that if Government is sincere in pushing for the Chinese medicine practitioners to join the medical functional constituency, she should bring an amendment bill to this effect after summer recess. Hopefully, after a cooling down period, proper discussion will lead to better consensus amongst the medical profession.

2) The medical profession should show a wider vision to achieve the best health for all.

3) The Chinese medicine practitioners should not take this incident as a discrimination of Western medicine practitioners against them. Instead, it is a lack of understanding which we all should attempt to improve.

Who lose? Who win?

          If my withdrawal of this amendment upset many people. I do sincerely apologise. Definitely, the Chinese medicine practitioners are the ones to lose most, for with the failure of obtaining an independent functional constituency and now with my withdrawal of the amendment, they are left with no functional constituency voice in the legislature.

          If my intention to introduce this amendment upset some people, and it obvious does, I send NO apology.

          Ever since my very first taste of the health care system of Hong Kong, ever since I embarked on public activities to fight for my ideal in future health care for Hong Kong, it has been my vision, and I have worked hard for it, that there should be a non-compartmentalised health care structure where primary, secondary and tertiary health care runs in a continuum, where private Western medicine practitioners run side by side with their public counterparts, and where Western medicine practitioners work in partnership with Chinese medicine practitioners for the patients we serve.

          Now when this aim is only a step away from the finishing line, helplessly I have to damage my own dream. How disheartening.

          Actually, who win and who lose? I suspect we all lose, in particular the medical profession that I honourably represent.

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