To facilitate the need by Western doctors to study in China,
several organizations exist for this purpose, including the World
Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies that works with the
World Health Organization (WHO) and the Chinese government. It
provides information to doctors and work with schools and hospitals
to bring doctors and students to China.
The WHO also has seven "collaboration centers" across China that
specifically works with universities and academic institutions
outside China and in conjunction with the Chinese Academy of
Sciences to improve access to foreigners seeking to study
traditional medicine in China, according to a WHO official based in
Beijing.
Despite the absence of reliable statistics, the WHO says there's
a growing demand by foreigners interested in pursuing courses in
Chinese institutions. They are either longtime mainstream medical
doctors, Chinese medicine doctors, acupuncturists or medical
students.
"They (doctors) realize the important role of traditional
medicine and more and more people are also starting to take
traditional medicine," says the WHO official. "There are more and
more foreigners coming to China to learn traditional Chinese
medicine."
While figures about the number of foreign students and doctors
coming to China was not available, the WHO says that between 2002
and 2006, 6,675 foreign students enrolled in courses provided by
the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, the country's
largest TCM research institution that also provides training. It's
under leadership of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese
Medicine.
Three of WHO's collaborating centers provide TCM courses to
foreign students. In addition to the China Academy of Chinese
Medical Sciences and its institutes, Nanjing University of
Traditional Chinese Medicine and its institutes and Shanghai
University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and its institutes also
do so.
(China Daily August 8, 2007)