August 24, 2005 – Ontario will soon regulate the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in its jurisdiction. The move follows the tabling of the MTC and Acupuncture Advisory Panel of MLAs’ report released earlier this summer.
“A bill will be presented by the end of this year, probably in November or December. We can therefore expect the new regulations to come into effect within a year or two, ”said David Spencer of the office of Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, George Smitherman.
The Advisory Group heard nearly 100 testimonies and received over 200 submissions from TCM practitioners, health care professionals, regulators and representatives of the public. According to its president, MP Tony Wong, an active member of the Chinese community in Toronto, a consensus is emerging in favor of better supervision of the practice. “People want to make sure that the practitioners who treat them are competent. We have to put in place a system to protect them, ”he said.
The report contains ten recommendations, including the creation of a body to govern the practice of TCM and the establishment of a classification of practitioners according to their level of professional training, acquired skills and experience. clinical. The advisory committee recommends that the government limit the practice of acupuncture to qualified practitioners whose profession is regulated. He also proposes to institute a title of herbalist for practitioners of TCM who use Chinese medicinal plants in the exercise of their profession.
Currently, TCM is not governed by any regulatory body in Ontario. British Columbia is the only Canadian province to have such regulations. In Quebec, only acupuncture is subject to regulatory control, which is the responsibility of the Ordre des acupuncteurs du Québec, under the aegis of the Office des professions.
Remember that TCM covers a much wider field than acupuncture. Based on ancestral knowledge that is both theoretical and practical, it uses a therapeutic arsenal that ranges from Chinese pharmacopoeia to the practice of Tai Ji Quan, including Qi Gong, dietetics and massage.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
1. Upcoming Regulation of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Ontario – press release. Government of Ontario, Canada, 2005. [Consulté le 12 août 2005]. www.health.gov.on.ca
2. Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture in Ontario – Report on Public Consultations. Government of Ontario, Canada, 2005. [Consulté le 12 août 2005]. www.health.gov.on.ca
