NSW considers regulating Chinese medicine
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New South Wales Health Minister John Hatzistergos is considering a proposal to force practitioners of Chinese medicine to become officially registered in the state, after concerns about the practices of some in the industry.
A parliamentary inquiry has recommended the move to weed out incompetent, negligent or dishonest practitioners.
A parliamentary committee has found that while there is wide acceptance in the community for traditional Chinese medicine, there are concerns about the quality of some people who pass themselves off as qualified practitioners.
Committee head Jeff Hunter says the job of inspecting Chinese practitioners is left to local councils and the inquiry heard of instances where there were breaches of safe practices, especially concerning acupuncture.
"There was improper sterilisation procedures and the re-use of single-use needles were some of the things that were brought to our attention," he said.
"So they wanted to see it regulated, they wanted to see it officially recognised and a proper complaints handling system put in place."
The committee has recommended that New South Wales follow Victoria in setting up a traditional Chinese medicine board.
Practitioners would only become registered with it after passing a university-level exam.
