PETALING JAYA, Jan 9 ― The Ministry of Health (MoH) aims to expand traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) practices in hospitals nationwide especially in the public sector, its deputy minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said.

He said a recent MoH survey revealed that about 30 per cent of Malaysians actually sought traditional medical treatment and as such there was demand for the services among the public.

"At the moment, there are at least 15 hospitals under MoH providing T&CM services, among them the National Cancer Institute and two hospitals in Putrajaya and Cheras.

"We see that there is a need (for T&CM) because in our survey, a large number of Malaysians still sought traditional medicine for treatment. T&CM is still the choice among many here,” he told reporters after officiating the opening of Sunway T&CM Centre, here today.

Meanwhile, Dr Lee said anyone who intends to practice T&CM would be required to register with the ministry once the T&CM Act 2016 is fully enforced, probably in one or two years’ time, in order to ensure the safety and quality of the healthcare services.

On the same note, he said the ministry also plans to regulate the fees imposed by practitioners to ensure fair and competitive prices for all Malaysians.

He said there are seven practice areas currently recognised under the T&CM Act 2016 namely Traditional Malay Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Traditional Indian Medicine, Islamic Medical Practice, Homeopathy, Chiropractic, and Osteopathy.

Commenting on the current influenza cases, Dr Lee said he was confident that those who have been diagnosed would recover.

"We (MoH) do keep track of the outbreak (of influenza),” he said adding that influenza is endemic in the country as it happens throughout the year especially at year-end when there are many travellers around. ― Bernama