• Focus on reform, spare no effort to improve policies and mechanisms for the development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) undertakings; focus on development, spare no effort to formulate and implement a comprehensive plan for the development of TCM; focus on rule of law, spare no effort to promote legal system construction, deepen the administration according to law, and ensure that key work tasks are implemented effectively.
• 2015 is a crucial year for comprehensively deepening reform, the inaugural year for comprehensively advancing rule of law, the year to fully conclude the 12th Five-Year Plan, the year to plan the 13th Five-Year Plan, and the year to implement the important speech spirit of Vice Premier Liu Yandong.
• TCM legislation is the top priority in current TCM work; we cannot start early but finish late.
• Continue to deeply implement the improvement project, fully complete the 4 indicators, and better leverage the role of TCM in primary healthcare services and promoting hierarchical diagnosis and treatment.
On January 12, Wang Guoqiang, Vice Minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission and Director of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, emphasized in his concluding speech at the National TCM Work Conference that this year's work tasks are extremely heavy. It is necessary to firmly establish a sense of responsibility, a sense of problem-solving, and a sense of"a sense of tackling hard tasks"）, follow the main line, focus on key points, focus on the "Three Grasps", and do a good job in the "Three Full Efforts". We must adhere to innovative thinking, work style dedicated to the people, and the spirit of perseverance, earnestly carry out all work related to TCM reform and development, and let TCM make new and greater contributions to safeguarding people's health and promoting economic and social development.
Wang Guoqiang stated that this year is a crucial year for comprehensively deepening reform, the inaugural year for comprehensively advancing rule of law, the year to fully conclude the 12th Five-Year Plan, the year to plan the 13th Five-Year Plan, and the year to implement the important speech spirit of Vice Premier Liu Yandong. The Party Central Committee and the State Council attach great importance to it, and the reform and development of economy and society as well as the reform and development of health and family planning have put forward new and higher requirements for TCM, and also brought new opportunities for the reform and development of TCM. We should focus on reform, spare no effort to improve policies and mechanisms for the development of TCM undertakings; focus on development, spare no effort to formulate and implement a comprehensive plan for the development of TCM; focus on rule of law, spare no effort to promote legal system construction, deepen the administration according to law, and ensure that key work tasks are implemented effectively.
What aspects should be paid attention to when planning and deploying national TCM work this year? Wang Guoqiang pointed out that the first is to spare no effort to promote TCM legislation. TCM legislation is the top priority in current TCM work; we cannot start early but finish late. According to the requirements of Director Li Bin, we should concentrate our efforts to accelerate progress. On one hand, the State Administration of TCM should increase coordination efforts, cooperate with the State Council Legislative Affairs Office to submit the TCM law draft to the State Council's executive meeting for review as soon as possible, comprehensively grasp key issues affecting legislation, and maximize consensus. On the other hand, localities should further unify their thinking, prioritize the overall interests of TCM, actively cooperate in the relevant work in the legislative process, and accelerate progress together to ensure that the national treasure achieves national legal protection as soon as possible.
The second is to spare no effort to deepen medical reform. The key task of current medical reform is public hospital reform. This year, comprehensive reform of county-level public hospitals will expand to all counties, and the pilot comprehensive reform of urban public hospitals will further expand its scope. Jiangsu, Anhui, Fujian, and Qinghai provinces will also launch comprehensive pilot work for deepening medical reform. On one hand, the national administration will fully reflect TCM content in relevant reform documents. On the other hand, localities should closely follow reform dynamics, strengthen research on how TCM hospitals can participate, better reflect their characteristics and reality, and come up with practical solutions. At the same time, localities should also pay attention to and actively cooperate in the relevant work of medical service and drug price reform.
The third is to spare no effort to enhance the service capacity of primary TCM. This year, the Health and Family Planning Commission will vigorously promote hierarchical diagnosis and treatment, especially taking the prevention and management of chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes and tuberculosis as breakthroughs, explore methods of"disease-based package"）and"up-down"）, and promote the establishment of a hierarchical diagnosis and treatment model featuring primary diagnosis, two-way referral, separate treatment of acute and chronic diseases, and up-down. We should seize the opportunity, continue to deeply implement the improvement project for primary TCM service capacity, focus on strengthening the construction of primary TCM service systems, focus on strengthening TCM training for primary medical personnel, focus on promoting TCM appropriate technologies, fully complete the 4 indicators (requirements for the proportion of TCM services provided by community health service centers, community health service stations, township health centers, and village clinics), and better leverage the role of TCM in primary healthcare services and promoting hierarchical diagnosis and treatment.
The fourth is about TCM informatization. This year, we will organize and implement TCM informatization construction projects such as the TCM sub-project of the national health security informatization project. Localities should actively cooperate with the national administration to complete the investigation on the current situation of TCM hospital informatization construction and development, study and put forward opinions and suggestions for accelerating TCM informatization construction, as well as major projects and programs, and actively strive for special funds.
The fifth is about the construction of national TCM clinical research bases. Over the past few years, the 16 bases have strengthened clinical research according to requirements, and"research on key diseases"have achieved. We should further focus on research directions, increase support and guarantee efforts, strengthenand"scientific research achievements", and apply and promote them to，"disease prevention and treatment""into practice". We should further improve the base's operational mechanism and actively undertake new research tasks.
The sixth is about the implementation of the "12th Five-Year Plan" TCM projects. We should strengthen supervision and inspection of the implementation of major TCM projects under the "12th Five-Year Plan" to ensure that project implementation complies with relevant regulations and requirements, and play a exemplary leading role. On this basis, we should plan major projects and programs under the "13th Five-Year Plan" TCM.
The seventh is about the "Belt and Road" strategy. The "Belt and Road" is a major national strategy, and TCM can serve as an important entry point. Localities should actively integrate into it and continuously promote the development of TCM in countries along the "Belt and Road".
At the meeting, Ma Jianzhong and Yu Wenming, Vice Directors of the State Administration of TCM, respectively made thematic reports on deepening medical reform and the "Belt and Road" national strategy. The meeting also summarized the group discussions from the previous day, and 5 group conveners made detailed reports on the discussion results. Wang Zhiyong, Vice Director of the State Administration of TCM, attended the meeting. (Zhou Manyi)
