At stake is a joint ordinance of the Ministries of Health and Science and Higher Education, validating the creation of a degree in traditional Chinese medicine.
The head of the European Council of National Medical Associations, Portuguese doctor José Santos, said he believes the degree would jeopardise “all that is scientifically conditioned and which scientific training proves to be effective.”
Speaking to Lusa News Agency, José Santos explained that he had sent a request to his European counterparts querying whether their countries offered degrees in traditional Chinese medicine, but did not receive a positive reply from any of them.
Among the countries that responded negatively were Germany, Italy, Belgium, France, Romania, the United Kingdom, Greece and Switzerland.
“I did not find a single country with such a degree”, Santos said.
The only exception was Austria, which in some universities offers postgraduate courses in Chinese medicine, limiting its attendance to doctors, dentists, vets, pharmacists, science graduates, or people with recognised experience in alternative medicine.
In Portugal, the degree, like any other, would be open to anyone with an interest in enrolling and who can afford to pay the Public Higher Education tuition fees.
Santos expressed further concern that Chinese Medicine could one day be taught in universities: “We have opened an enormous space in which people could seriously damage public health, by delaying diagnoses or therapeutic proposals.”
The degree, Santos believes, would be “attended by non-doctors who would act as pseudo-doctors within a ‘medical’ field, which could entail serious public health hazards.”
Divide over Chinese Medicine degree widens
in News · 01 Mar 2018, 13:15 · 4 Comments
Without doubt this sCAM "degree" would result in many people dying unnecessary. It would be institutionalized fraud.
By Bill Grogan from UK on 02 Mar 2018, 11:40
There is no robust evidence to support any clinically significant outcome for acupuncture/Chinese Medicine for any disease or disorder. Over 50 Cochrane reviews do not support acupuncture. This can only lead to poorly trained alternative medicine practitioners falsely diagnosing patients with what they call ‘tongue’ or ‘pulse’ analysis, thereby delaying real diagnosis and proven treatments.
This is a form of Chinese ‘soft power’ being introduced to your country.
By Loretta Marron OAM from Other on 02 Mar 2018, 21:52
Wrong information. Review German Medical Association on the matter and other institutions.
Search WHO position on this matter and USA National Insitutrs of Health.
There is too much misformation on the issue stemming from the Portuguese Medical Association.
By Joao Lucas from Lisbon on 02 Mar 2018, 21:58
the UK has had university BSc degrees and Masters degrees in acupuncture and chinese herbal medicine for well over a decade. Universities that have offered these degrees of have validated them include: Westminster, Univ of Wales, Middlesex, Lincoln, Salford, Leeds, London South Bank, Portsmouth. South bank is also a Confucius Institute. Until very recently Middlesex offered a 5 year degree with Chinese language studies and clinical training in hospitals in china.
By charles buck from UK on 03 Mar 2018, 12:09