The development of Chinese medicine has been the focus of attention for the people in the community as well as in the sector of public health. After the development of Chinese medicine for more than 100 years, Chinese Medicine Registration Act was finally passed in the State Parliament of Victoria in 2000 and preparation for registration commenced in 2001.

So far, the Chinese Medicine Registration Act has been in effect for 15 months. How does the Act fare in the community? The author paid a visit to Professor Vivian Lin, President of Chinese Medicine Registration Board of Victoria..

"The Chinese Medicine Registration Board consists of nine members, who were appointed by the Minister for Health of Victoria, and is responsible for the implementation of various items contained in the Chinese Medicine Registration Act, including assessment and registration of practising Chinese medicine practitioners, establishment of guidelines for approving training courses, dealing with relevant complaints and management of certain toxic Chinese herbs etc. " said Professor Lin.

"Although these tasks may not seem relevant, they are all related to one core purpose - i.e. protecting the safety of the public. This includes protecting them from non-standardised Chinese medicine treatment, and ensuring correct use of certain toxic Chinese herbs. If adverse incidents occur, the Board will ensure that complaints from the public will be effectively dealt with through a series of procedures", Professor Lin continued.

Since this comprehensive registration of Chinese medicine in Victoria is the first in the Western world, the task is arduous beyond our previous expectations. Due to the complexity of the task as well as the rigorous decision-making processes specified by the Board, there has been some delay. We therefore ask applicants to be patient. Every decision has to be considered carefully by relevant subcommittees before being passed by the Board at its general meetings.

Professor Lin pointed out, "Since the aim of registration is to establish relevant standards, in order to ensure the quality of Chinese medicine treatment and to establish Chinese medicine as a profession trusted by the public, it is natural that some applicants may not be able to meet the requirements specified by the Board. Some may be advised to take further training or to sit for examination. Some applicants may be refused registration. It is inevitable that some applicants will not be satisfied with the results of the assessment".

"The Board is concerned, however, with the provision of positive and effective suggestions to those applicants who are enthusiastic about the development of Chinese medicine, but do not currently meet the registration requirements. For instance, the Board may advise them to undertake training programs or to sit the examination/s organised by the Board. In other words, refusal now does not necessarily mean that you will never be able to become registered as a Chinese medicine practitioner."

The great majority of Chinese medicine practitioners have been approved for registration, and only a small number have been required to sit the examinations, or undertake further theoretical study and clinical training. Up until now, there have been 829 applicants for registration, of whom 646 have been approved.

The Board has established guidelines for approving education courses and has begun to approve such courses.

A discussion paper on the management of toxic Chinese herbs will be available soon. 'Scheduling' of certain herbs will ensure that only properly qualified Chinese medicine practitioners will be permitted to use specified toxic Chinese herbs. Some herbs may have been commonly used for clinical purposes but were previously banned in Australia.

Professor Lin said, "on behalf of all members of the Board, I would like to extend my thanks to the community at large and to the professionals in the field of Chinese medicine, for their high level of support. I am particularly thankful to the members of the Board as well as all members of the relevant expert committees for their hard work".

The implementation of the Chinese Medicine Registration Act 2000 will not only protect the safety of the public, but will also play an important role in enhancing public confidence in Chinese medicine and promoting the safe and healthy development of Chinese medicine in the future. Qualified Chinese medicine practitioners will be not only the facilitators but also the beneficiaries of the development of Chinese medicine.

It is important to emphasise that the nature of work of the Chinese Registration Board is to promote "public safety", while the focus of various Chinese medicine professional associations is on "members' wishes". The two purposes are complementary and mutually-beneficial in the development process of Chinese medicine. It is necessary to clarify here, however, that it is impossible and also unnecessary for one to replace the other.

As the Board continues its work, as mentioned above, in the near future, the standardised education of Chinese medicine practitioners, proper registration of those in clinical practice, and mechanisms to deal with complaints will be put into practice. This all contributes to laying a foundation for the standardised development of Chinese medicine.

With regard to the progress of its various tasks, please visit the Chinese Medicine Registration Board's website at http://www.vic.gov.au , or ring 03-9499 3800 or send a fax to 03-9499 8688.