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First Chinese Medicine Board appointed outside China (14/12/00) Thursday, 14 December 2000


Thursday, 14 December 2000

FIRST CHINESE MEDICINE BOARD APPOINTED OUTSIDE CHINA

The Health Minister, John Thwaites, today announced the membership of the Chinese Medicine Registration Board of Victoria – the first of its kind outside China.

With more than 500 Chinese practitioners in Victoria and half the population turning to complementary medicine, Mr Thwaites said the Board had a crucial role in helping protect the health and safety of people who use Chinese medicine.

“Victoria’s Chinese Medicine Registration Board is the first jurisdiction outside China to adopt a comprehensive regulatory regime for Chinese medicine,” Mr Thwaites said.

“Headed by Professor Vivian Lin, the Professor of Public Health at La Trobe University, one of its key tasks will be to set the registration requirements for practitioners and to accredit training courses in Chinese medicine offered here and overseas.”

Mr Thwaites said the Board was part of Victoria’s groundbreaking reforms of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and included representation from the three main divisions of the Chinese medicine register – acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and Chinese herbal dispensing.

Members of the Board are:

· Prof Vivian Lin (president), Professor of Public Health at La Trobe University, was deputy chair of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Traditional Chinese Medicine. She is an advisor with the World Bank and World Health Organisation in China and is fluent in Chinese.
· Genevieve Howse (deputy president), a barrister and senior lecturer in public health law at La Trobe University, was a legal member of the Chiropractors Registration board from June 1997 to June 2000.
· Dr Charlie Xue, a senior lecturer and head of the Chinese Medicine Unit at RMIT as well as a private practitioner. He has experience in administration, education and research.
· Prof T Chiang Lin, managing director of the Naturewise company and a private practitioner. He headed the delegation that led to the review of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Victoria and is fluent in Vietnamese, Chinese and Cantonese.
· Shelley Beer, co-ordinator and senior lecturer with the Chinese herbal medicine course at Victoria University and has strong research, practice and administrative experience.
· Prof Samuel Zheng, principal of the College of TCM Australia. He has postgraduate qualifications in both western and Chinese medicine. He is fluent in Mandarin and Japanese.
· Glenys Savage, vice principal and a senior lecturer at Academy of TCM Australia and a private practitioner, and is fluent in Mandarin.
· David Halstead, a consultant and retired partner with law firm Maurice Blackburn Cashman and was a Fitzroy city councillor for three years.
· Brian May, a lecturer at Victoria University and a private practitioner. He has been secretary for the Register for Acupuncture and TCM – a self-regulatory mechanism set up by the profession. He has extensive background on standards for the prescribing and prescription of herbal medicines.

A six-member panel has also been appointed to assist the board with hearings and sub-committees. The panel members are:
    · Dr Bing-Zhong Chen, Associate Professor in Chinese Medicine at the University of Hong Kong. He is former head of the Chinese Medicine Unit at RMIT and is in private practice in Melbourne.
    · Sally Griffin, a current TCM student with experience in administrative law.
    · Prof Jerry Zhang, lecturer at RMIT University and a private practitioner. He is considered the foremost expert in Chinese herbal pharmacology in Victoria and is fluent in Mandarin and Japanese.
    · Dr Philipa Rothfield, a La Trobe University academic with a background in health, medicine, science and ethics. She has an interest in Chinese medicine and has written and presented on the subject, particularly the complexities of applying western scientific research methodology to the testing of Chinese medicine.
    · Ying Chen, a research fellow at Monash University. She has a Masters of Public Health and Masters of Health Sciences and was formerly employed by the State Administration of TCM in the People’s Republic of China.
    · Jocelyn Bennett, responsible for the establishment of the Australian Complementary Health Association and the publication of the complementary health magazine Diversity.
    · Lindsay Ford, has extensive experience in administrative and constitutional law as well as national competition policy.

    “Victoria’s Chinese Medicine Registration Act, passed earlier this year, helps protect the health and safety of people who choose to use Chinese medicine as a health care option,” Mr Thwaites said.

    “The Board will liaise with State and Federal agencies and the Chinese medicine profession to establish the list of Chinese herbs that can only be legally prescribed and dispensed by registered practitioners.”

    ChineseBoard.doc

    Media Release Attachment - ChineseBoard.doc [Word, 50176 Bytes]







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