Speaking in the fourth Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Chinese Medicine Inheritance, Innovation and Development Conference yesterday, Lo said that research and application of Chinese medicine is an integral part of Hong Kong's health-care system.

"More resources and more minds will be put to use in Hong Kong to better advance Chinese medicine health services," he said.

"The SAR government has set up the Chinese Medicine Development Fund, to provide financial support to the industry"

It will go toward building Hong Kong's first Chinese medicine hospital, which is expected to commence service in phases from 2025, and the hope is to establish a Chinese medicine consortium and hospital community within the Greater Bay Area.

The Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute in Tsueng Kwan O is also under construction.

The institute includes a testing laboratory that meets international standards, and will also exhibit Chinese medicine ingredients in a push to better acquaint the public with the herbs.

Besides this, hospitals in Hong Kong will embrace more Chinese medicine outpatient services as well as inpatient services that combine both Chinese and Western medicines.

Lo also said collaboration with the mainland has been ongoing with exchange programs that started in 2021 and aimed at strengthening the training of young Chinese medicine practitioners and raise their professional standards.

"Chinese medicine has been involved in the whole process of pandemic prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation," he said, and thanked the Chinese medicine industry for providing telemedicine services to patients during the city's fifth local Covid wave.