Changsha (Xinhua) – Pakistani healthcare workers are undergoing specialized training in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) at the First Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, located in central China’s Hunan Province. Dr. Gong Zhixian, from the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology of TCM, is instructing six Pakistani participants in traditional fracture bandaging techniques.
One trainee, Dabeer Ahmed Khan, volunteered to act as an injured patient to facilitate Dr. Gong’s practical demonstration.
The Pakistan TCM Practitioner Training Program, launched on August 11, is organized under the China-Pakistan TCM Center at Hunan University of Medicine. The courses cover multiple TCM therapies, taught at the university and its affiliated hospitals.
During the program, the trainees observed acupuncture, tuina (therapeutic massage), and rehabilitation sessions. In one demonstration, Dr. Luo Beidan performed acupuncture therapy, while the Pakistani participants observed the complete procedure.
Participant Rukhsana Perveen said that although she had some prior knowledge of acupuncture and herbal medicine, she never had the chance to study it systematically. “That’s why I came here — to learn this knowledge firsthand, as it has been practiced in China for thousands of years,” she noted.
Dr. Luo told Xinhua that the Pakistani students showed keen interest and enthusiasm in acupuncture but stressed that mastering the basic theories is essential before they can treat patients safely. According to the program’s academic plan, the participants will receive one month of theoretical study followed by five months of clinical rotations.
Dabeer Ahmed Khan added, “I want to bring the traditional Chinese medical techniques I have learned here back to Pakistan, introduce them to my colleagues, and apply them in treatment.”
In recent years, bilateral cooperation between China and Pakistan in traditional medicine has expanded significantly, supported by the development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The China-Pakistan TCM Center was jointly established by Hunan University of Medicine and the University of Karachi in December 2020, with approval and support from the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, as an international cooperation platform.
He Qinghu, Principal of Hunan University of Medicine and Chinese Director of the China-Pakistan TCM Center, described the TCM Practitioner Training Program as an “initial effort to cultivate traditional medical professionals under China-Pakistan collaboration.”
