In August of this year, the construction project of the National Medical Center at the First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine was included in the national major project database, marking the official establishment of the National Medical Center in Tianjin and its designation as one of the first three national medical centers (in the field of traditional Chinese medicine) in China.

Where is the National Medical Center located?

When is it expected to be completed?

What are the main medical issues it will focus on?

What medical services will it bring to Tianjin citizens?

On December 23rd, Wang Xudong, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Tianjin Municipal Health Commission, and relevant officials were guests on the special program “Report to the Public—2024 Year-End Interview with the Director of the Commission” from the series “Public Servants Entering the Live Streaming Room.” The program is jointly launched by the Tianjin Municipal Government Office, the Tianjin Municipal Cyberspace Administration, and the Haihe Media Center. It focuses on the strategic significance and construction status of the National Medical Center settling in Tianjin, and responds to public concerns.

Wang Xudong, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Tianjin Municipal Health Commission, was a guest on the special program “Report to the Public—2024 Year-End Interview with the Director of the Commission” from the series “Public Servants Entering the Live Streaming Room.”

The National Medical Center represents the highest level of development in traditional Chinese medicine and is a national strategic asset in the field of health in China in the new era. Tianjin attaches great importance to the construction of the National Medical Center. Experts such as Academician Shi Xuemin and Academician Zhang Boli lead the guidance in formulating the application plan.

After 3 and a half years, in August of this year, the construction project of the National Medical Center of the First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine was included in the national major project database, marking the official settlement of the National Medical Center project in our city, which makes it one of the first three national medical centers (in the field of traditional Chinese medicine) in China.

Location of the National Medical Center Project

The project is located in the Tianjin Health Industry International Cooperation Demonstration Zone in Jinghai District, with a total construction area of 210,000 square meters. At present, the infrastructure construction is progressing steadily, and the International Acupuncture and Moxibustion Center Building is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

Focus on Building Six Major Centers

The National Medical Center focuses on solving the difficult problems in the inheritance and innovation of acupuncture and moxibustion, Tuina and clinical disciplines of traditional Chinese medicine. Relying on the First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, it attracts well-known universities, medical institutions, scientific research institutes and R&D enterprises at home and abroad to participate, realizes the deep coordination of “five forces”of medicine, science, research, industry and government, and strives to build six centers, namely the clinical diagnosis and treatment center, the research and development center, the medical research transformation center, the talent training center, the public health center and the international exchange and cooperation center.

Leading the Development of Acupuncture and Moxibustion in the World

Acupuncture and moxibustion is an original discipline with the most Chinese characteristics, in which China can dominate the development direction internationally. It is also a traditional advantageous discipline of Tianjin traditional Chinese medicine. It has the reputation that “On the global stage of acupuncture, China takes the center; within China, Tianjin leads the way.”

Through the construction of the National Medical Center, not only will it lead the development of acupuncture and moxibustion in the world, become the “setter” and “practitioner” of the international standard of acupuncture and moxibustion, drive the diversified inheritance, innovation, research and multidisciplinary development of traditional Chinese medicine, but also will have a positive impact on the medical treatment of residents in Tianjin.

The National Medical Center will gather high-level medical experts, accurately focus on the prevention and treatment needs of major diseases among the people, and improve the level of traditional Chinese medicine medical services.

It will play a radiating and driving role, promote the extension of high-quality resources of traditional Chinese medicine to grassroots levels, and improve the accessibility and convenience of grassroots traditional Chinese medicine services.

It will build a characteristic cultural brand of the national medical center with TCM acupuncture and moxibustion as the core, and enhance people’s recognition and trust in traditional Chinese medicine.

It will accelerate the technological innovation and transformation in TCM, effectively promote the deep integration of the innovation chain and the industry chain, and achieve a win-win situation of economic and social benefits.

In the future, the Tianjin Municipal Health Commission will continue to improve the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) medical service system, with the National Medical Center as the leader, the TCM Medical Center as the guide, district-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals and the departments of traditional Chinese medicine in general hospitals as the backbone, TCM clinics and Zhongyi Ge, which provide traditional Chinese medicine services at the grassroots level, as the foundation, and privately-run TCM medical institutions as supplements. It will strive to do a good job in the inheritance, innovation and development of traditional Chinese medicine, and build Tianjin into a major innovation source and new quality productivity cultivation area in the field of traditional Chinese medicine in China.