The Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Center at the Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, has started training its first batch of local health workers to meet the growing demand for TCM in the country.

Zhu Wei, a TCM practitioner and chief of the center, says the three-month program aims to train a group of health professionals, who can provide an alternative medical option to Zimbabweans. "We hope to train personnel to specialize in TCM and acupuncture, and that, after the training, they will master the basic acupuncture techniques and the knowledge of TCM," he says.

Zhu, who is also the head of the 18th Chinese medical team in Zimbabwe, says TCM offers substantial benefits to patients, hence the need to train local health workers.

"In TCM, we can diagnose disease by inspection, inquiry, palpation and auscultation. So for those people who cannot afford to get a scan, they can benefit from TCM and acupuncture. After we diagnose the patients, we can use acupuncture and Chinese cupping therapy to treat them," Zhu says. "TCM and acupuncture can be used in different fields and different specialties. We can treat different pains like neck pain, low back pain and arthritis, headache and so on. It can also be applied to the digestive system, neurological system and vascular system."

The center, established in 2020 as part of efforts to offer Zimbabweans affordable medical treatment, has in recent months seen a multitude of patients seeking medical attention free of charge.

Before the introduction of the program, Adam Muchenje, a nursing tutor, had attended training and workshops on TCM in China.

"The opening up of this clinic is a blessing to me and the patients because I am now going to have a chance of helping people," he says. "The knowledge that I attained in China and that I am getting now is going to help in treating patients, in educating people on how they can get treatment and how to combine it with Western medicine."

Tatenda Chimbunde, a trainee at the center who is a recent graduate from the China Pharmaceutical University, says it is her duty to share what she learned in China for the benefit of locals.