Hanoi (VNA) - TheMinistry of Health will work to increase medical examinations and treatmentusing herbal medicine.

According to the ministry, 57 out of 63 localities have hospitals usingherbal medicine in treatment.

The treatment with herbal medicine has gradually risen over theyears, with the method used in 4.1 percent, 11.7 percent and 13.4 percent oftotal cases in central, provincial and district levels, respectively.

In 2017, the sector continued developing and completing a legalframework on traditional medicine in terms of herbal medicine processingmethods, list of herbal materials, among others.

Local herbal materials were developed to ensure supply for traditionalmedicine institutions while increasing supervisions to improve the quality ofherbal materials at health care facilities and shops.

The Ministry inspected examinations and treatment at traditionalmedicine hospitals in Lang Son, Bac Giang, Hoa Binh provinces, and Ho Chi MinhCity, and evaluated the treatment quality at central hospitals.

It also worked closely with the National SteeringCommittee No. 389 on combating smuggling, commercial frauds andcounterfeit goods in the sector.

A number of models were piloted to enhance the skills of herbalmedicine treatment, such as training volunteers providing primary health careservices based on traditional medicine in Thanh Tri district, Hanoi, and betteringacupuncture treatment skills at a communal health care station in Thanh Miendistrict, Hai Duong province.

Workshops were conducted to seek measures for the development of herbalmedicine.

However, the quality of examinations and treatment based on herbalmedicine has yet to meet the increasing demand of people, while the combinationof herbal medicine and modern medicine remained ineffective in some places.

Therefore, in the coming time, the sector will continue completingthe State management system in term of herbal medicine at all levels, aiming toensure all provincial health departments will have staff in charge of thismedicine.

Focus will be put on expanding the service network, raisingexamination and treatment quality, training human resources at all levels.

Two additional provincial traditional medicine hospitals will bebuilt in 2018.

Treatment with herbal medicine combined with modern medicine willbe improved, raising the rate of people using the services to 10 percent, 15percent and 20 percent, and 35 percent of total cases in central, provincial,district, and communal levels, respectively.

The sector will instruct relevant bodies, agencies, and healthcare institutions to inspect the quality of treatment services and herbalmaterials and medicine production.

Combating smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeit goods of herbalmaterials will be strengthened in a number of provinces and cities.-VNA