The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong will introduce two new treatment programmes targeting stroke and lower back pain starting next week, with bookings having opened yesterday. The initiatives are part of a broader strategic plan to launch 23 specialized disease programmes over five years aimed at addressing healthcare demands and enhancing the role of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in clinical practice.
Bian Zhaoxiang, the hospital’s chief executive, highlighted the advantages of TCM in managing stroke and lower back pain, noting robust patient demand. He emphasized the value of a multidisciplinary approach that combines Chinese and Western medical practices to improve patient outcomes. While Bian did not disclose the specific patient capacity for the programmes, he assured that the hospital is equipped to meet anticipated demand and remain flexible in adjusting resources.
In addition to these two programmes, the hospital plans to introduce another 10 treatment tracks this year covering areas such as fertility and therapy for developmental delays, with the remainder scheduled for rollout over the following four years. By the end of 2026, the hospital also intends to launch a 24-hour inpatient service.
Deputy chief executive Cheung Chun-hoi explained that patients enrolled in the stroke and lower back pain programmes would receive comprehensive TCM care, including herbal medicine, acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, massage, and herbal baths. Care teams will consist of TCM practitioners alongside doctors, physiotherapists, and nurses who act as case managers to coordinate treatment through all phases.
The stroke treatment programme is divided into two tracks based on the duration since the stroke occurred. The acute track addresses patients within one week to two months post-stroke and consists of 18 day-patient sessions over three weeks. The chronic track covers those between two months and three years post-stroke, offering 48 outpatient sessions over eight weeks.
Similarly, the lower back pain programme features an acute track for patients with pain lasting less than six weeks, providing four day-patient sessions, and a subacute or chronic track for pain persisting more than six weeks, which includes 12 outpatient sessions over four weeks.
Appointments may be made by patients or healthcare practitioners via WhatsApp at +852 5799 3233. Both government-subsidized and market-based service options will be available, with subsidized outpatient consultations priced at HK$250 and daily herbal prescriptions costing HK$25. Market-rate outpatient consultations range between HK$450 and HK$790, with prescriptions at HK$90 per day, allowing patients to select preferred practitioners under the fee-for-service model.
Located on Pak Shing Kok Road in Tseung Kwan O, the hospital serves as both a medical facility and a research and training center focused on expanding TCM globally, aligning with directives from the central Chinese government to promote traditional medicine’s international development.