Zimbabwe’s first locally-trained acupuncturists graduated after completing a four-month-long program held at the TCM and Acupuncture Center at the Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare.
The program is comprised of theory and practice and included basic operation of acupuncture and moxibustion, as well as diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine and a component of traditional Chinese medicine in which thin needles are inserted into the body to stimulate specific points in the body.
The program was funded by the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China and coordinated by the Hunan Provincial Health Commission and the Hunan Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Zhu Wei, a TCM doctor and instructor of the program, congratulated the students on completing the course, expressing hope that they will apply what they have learned in this training class to practical work.
Zimbabwe’s Vice President Constantino Chiwenga who doubles as the minister of Health and Child Care said China has offered valuable lessons with regard to the development and promotion of the TCM. Xinhua cites him as saying
Zimbabwe has drawn lessons from the Chinese experience in the endeavor to integrate traditional medicine into the mainstream of healthcare.
Since the opening of the TCM and Acupuncture Center in 2021, more than 5 000 people have received medical care free of charge.