Macau’s secretary for social affairs and culture, Alexis Tam, told Portugal’s minister of health, Marta Temido, he wants to promote with Portugal research in the field of traditional Chinese medicine, authorities announced on Wednesday.
Tam said this in Geneva, Switzerland, where the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organisation (WHO), is taking place until 28 May.
He “expressed the desire to have closer cooperation in the future, to jointly promote research in the field of traditional medicine and boost the development of that medicine and alternative medicine in Europe and Africa,” the note read.
On 27 March, Macau’s government said it intended to record, until the end of the year, between four and six products of traditional Chinese medicine in Mozambique, a “pilot country” in the study of export of this field to Portuguese-language area and where it is expected the creation of a Chinese Medicine Centre.
This investment has seen some success in the Portuguese-speaking African countries, according to Macau’s government, especially in the training of physicians and therapists.
In Geneva, Tam told Temido that he wants to combine efforts in the “implementation of the Hospital TwinningPartnerships programme between Macau and Portuguese-language countries and the training of specialised health professionals.”
On 26 April, authorities of Macau and East Timor launched a project called Hospital TwinningPartnerships, under the Chinese initiative “One Belt, One Road” and in partnership with WHO.
Macau expects to invest about $1 million (€900,000) in this project.
WHO launched the programme in 2009 and aims to help less-developed countries improve the quality and safety of health care by sharing experiences and technical support of partners.
