Traditional and Complementary Medicine (T&CM) is deeply rooted in local cultures and widely embraced by communities. Despite its rich history, T&CM remains underutilised and undervalued in modern healthcare systems across the region, even as rising healthcare costs and overburdened systems create significant accessibility challenges. Several factors contribute to this disconnect:
- Limited integration
- Lack of standardisation
- Insufficient R&D
- Fragmented regulation
- Limited knowledge transfer
- Inadequate formal education
This report makes a recommendation for the establishment of a Regional Hub for Traditional and Complementary Medicine in Malaysia that not only addresses the challenges described above but also drives regional healthcare cooperation, promotes and scales T&CM practices, and thereby improves healthcare access to achieve universal health coverage.
The Vision
The Regional Hub aims to become the global Centre of Excellence (CoE) for the preservation, promotion, and integration of T&CM in Asia, by bringing together different schools of knowledge and investing in innovation and advancing accessibility to primary health care for all.
The Regional Hub will offer 5 Key Services to advance the development of T&C in Asia:
- Clinical Services
- Accreditation & Certification
- Research & Development
- Knowledge Hub
- Training & Education
Operating Model
Operating as a non-profit entity, the Regional Hub will have five founding member countries: Malaysia, Singapore, China, India and the ASEAN bloc, which will provide initial funding and establish the mandate for the Regional Hub. Through 5 key service offerings, the Regional Hub aims to service a range of stakeholders: patients, practitioners, research institutions and universities, pharmaceutical and medical device companies among others.
Financials
The establishment of the Regional Hub will require an initial funding of MYR 400 million (approx. USD 90 mil), which will be provided by the founding member countries. Through its key services, the Regional Hub will generate a direct revenue of MYR 31 mil in Year 1 (approx. USD 6.95 mil) with an average annual growth rate of 19% in the first 5 years. Additional revenue will come from annual contribution from member countries and philanthropic organisations. The Regional Hub targets to break-even by Year 4 and to be profitable in the following years.
Policy Recommendations
In order for the Regional Hub to achieve its vision and objectives, enabling policies will be required to facilitate the Regional Hub’s activities. Five policy recommendations are proposed around the following:
- Product Quality Assurance
- Professional License Recognition
- Facility Accreditation
- Standardised Nomenclature
- Common Referral System