Health Ministry finalises traditional and complementary medicine regulations

The Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act 2013 will only be enforced after the process of formulating regulations on traditional and complementary medicine now in the final stage is completed.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said the ministry would continue to obtain the views of interested parties to enhance the act which had been gazetted at Dewan Rakyat in February last year following a public campaign.

"Besides ensuring the quality, safety and efficacy of such medical services, continuous improvement of the law will also raise the professionalism of such medical practitioners," he said in his winding-up speech for his ministry at the Senate here Tuesday.

While awaiting its enforcement date, Subramaniam said the ministry had appointed practitioners in eight areas to represent their fields of practice identified and conducted self-supervision based on practice and ethical code developed by the ministry and the constitutions of the bodies concerned.

He said the six main fields of practice under traditional and complementary medicine were Malay traditional medicine, Indian traditional medicine, Chinese traditional medicine, Islamic medicine, homeopathy and therapy.

"When the act comes into effect, all traditional and complementary medicine practitioners are required to registered with the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Council," he said.