The ‘AMIGO – Interactive Segment among International Youth TCM Practitioners’ was held in Lisbon, Portugal on May 15 during the ‘2019 Traditional Medicine International Development Forum’ (‘2019 TMIF Euro-Africa’). About 100 young TCM practitioners, as well as representatives from government departments, industry experts and representatives from universities, were brought together from countries and regions such as Macao, Mainland China, Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, Mozambique, and Cape Verde to share ideas on the application of TCM in China and Portuguese-speaking countries and regions and to interact with international experts, thus advancing the international development of talents and the Traditional Medicine industry in a deeper and broader scope.
The exchange activity is the first initiative under the ‘International Youth TCM Practitioners Exchange Base’ undertaken by the Chief Executive of the MSAR. The term ‘AMIGO’ means ‘friend’ in Portuguese, symbolizing that the event welcomes young TCM practitioners from all over the world to join the ‘International Youth TCM Practitioners Exchange Base’ of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Industrial Park of Co-operation between Guangdong and Macao (GMTCM Park) to partake in the communication and learning of TCM and to promote the inheritance and development of TCM.
Participants from Macao China, mainland China, Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, Mozambique, Cape Verde and other countries exchanged and interacted with international experts during “AMIGO-Interactive Segment among International Youth TCM Practitioners”
During the exchanges, youth representatives from Macao introduced the past, present and future of TCM in Macao and shared the development of series products of innovative functional food in the form of solid-liquid capsules. Youth TCM practitioners from Cape Verde discussed the development status of Traditional Medicine and TCM in public and private hospitals. Youth TCM practitioners from Portugal shared the status quo of the teaching, learning and application of TCM, and a Portuguese student doing Bachelor’s Degree in Acupuncture shared Portuguese students’ expectation and experience in learning Acupuncture. The youth TCM practitioner representative from Mozambique shared TCM learning experience and clinical application in public medical units in Mozambique.
Following the themed sharing, Mr. Eduardo Tavares, the Director Geral de Farmácia de Cabo Verde; Ms. Felisbela Gaspar, the Director of the Institute for Traditional Medicine, Ministry of Health of Mozambique; Dr. Lu Yubo, Advisor to the Expert Advisory Committee of the Industrial Park and the President of the Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine; Dr. Wang Shengliang, the President of the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine; Dr. Song Bolin, the President of the Changchun University of Chinese Medicine; Dr. Li Candong, the President of the Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine; Dr. Wang Kai, the Vice-Director of the National Medical Research Institute of Gynecology; and Mr. Diogo Calado, the Associate Professor of Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal made expert reviews of topics shared by youth TCM practitioners and exchanged ideas with them on TCM and occupational development.
Founded in September 2018, the ‘International Youth TCM Practitioners Exchange Base’ has recruited industry experts and association representatives to form a professional mentor group, providing professional training, exchange salons and practice guidance on a regular basis and serving as a platform for the communication and learning among international youth TCM practitioners. At present, the GMTCM Park has carried out an array of international training and co-operation activities, as well as professional exchanges, including activities on TCM techniques for Mozambique, Cape Verde and other Portuguese-speaking countries, TCM professional technical training for youth TCM practitioners from Macao, and salons for professionals from Portuguese-speaking countries, in an effort to improve the quality of TCM professionals.
Going ahead, the GMTCM Park will gradually expand the ‘International Youth TCM Practitioners Exchange Base’ to cover young TCM practitioners in Portuguese-speaking countries, build it into a comprehensive communication platform for international young TCM practitioners, and also provide more opportunities for youth development in Macao. Meanwhile, the ‘TCM × Youth Talk’ Salon will be held on a regular basis and youth TCM practitioners from Macao will be organized to take part in voluntary TCM consultations and practical training overseas.
On the morning of May 16, youth TCM practitioners participating in this year’s event paid visits to Escola de Medicina Tradicional Chinesa (ESMTC) and Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias (Lusophone University of Humanities and Technologies), to learn about the education and application of TCM, as well as local cultures and costumes.
