January 11, 2007 – The government of Quebec should regulate the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine by creating a professional order, recently argued the Association of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture of Quebec and Canada (AMCAQC).
“The legal profession status will allow the establishment of training and treatment standards that will better protect the public and contribute to the health of Quebecers,” said Raymond Tsim, president of the group founded ten years ago.
According to the AMCAQC, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is among the most accepted and used complementary approaches, both in Quebec and elsewhere in the world. Such legislative recognition is therefore all the more desirable, argues the organization.
To achieve its goals, the organization intends to circulate a petition and make representations to Quebec MPs and ministers.
Established in Montreal’s Chinatown, the AMCAQC cites the example of British Columbia and Ontario to support its demands. Indeed, the province of Western Canada adopted legislation to this effect in 2000, while the Ontario law on TCM has just come into force on December 20.
The AMCAQC also wants TCM to be taught in Quebec universities. Currently, the public system offers only one technical training in acupuncture at Cégep de Rosemont, in Montreal.
Only acupuncture is regulated in Quebec. The group wants the Quebec government to also recognize other disciplines of TCM, such as Chinese pharmacopoeia, Chinese dietetics, massages and Qi Gong. In Quebec, approximately 500 people practice Traditional Chinese Medicine.
TCM regulated in Ontario It is now done: Bill 50, which regulates the practice of TCM in Ontario, came into force just before the end of 2006. In addition to bringing order to the practice of TCM , this law will allow, among other things, consumers to have legal remedies in the event of inadequate treatment. Elsewhere in the world, TCM is regulated in 48 US states as well as in England and Thailand. |
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
According to The Gazette and The Ville-Marie.