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Ontario Committed To Regulating Traditional Chinese Medicine

Transitional Council Working To Develop Regulations, Standards and Policies

September 1, 2011

News

Ontario is committed to moving ahead with regulating the profession of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

The registrar and members of the transitional Council for the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario are working to develop regulations, standards and policies that will allow this college to take its place among all the other health professions that are regulated in Ontario.

The purpose of regulating health professions is to protect the public interest and to ensure that the public can be confident that health practitioners providing care are qualified and competent and have met standards in order to practice. It also ensures that everyone receives safe, appropriate and ethical services.

QUOTES

“It takes time and considerable effort to ensure the building blocks are in place so that patients can be assured the services they are receiving are being provided by competent and qualified individuals. Traditional Chinese Medicine plays an important and valuable role in the health and well-being of Ontarians as many are choosing this complementary and alternative approach to health care.  It is in this spirit that we are committed to the regulation of this profession.”
- Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care

QUICK FACTS

• Ontario is the second jurisdiction in Canada to move to regulate TCM.  British Columbia is the only province to regulate the practise of TCM. Two other provinces, Alberta and Québec, regulate the practice of acupuncture only.
• The TCM transitional Council is responsible for establishing the processes and framework for professional governance in areas such as registration, quality assurance, professional misconduct and college administration. This process is no different from the process that the other 21 health regulatory colleges in Ontario went through when they started.

LEARN MORE

Read more about the regulation of traditional Chinese medicine.

Read the Chinese Translation

Members of the media :

Neala Barton, 416-327-4388
Minister's Office

Andrew Morrison, 416-314-6197
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
ontario.ca/health-news