After an X-ray was taken, doctors at the hospital’s traditional medicine ward
told her she had sciatic nerve pain and prescribed 10 acupuncture treatments and
several herbal concoctions. By the end of treatment, she no longer felt pain.
Nguyen Thi Lam Thao, the head of the ward, said that patients like Nhung were
benefiting more and more from both traditional and modern Western medicine
treatments. The use of medical tests like X-rays with traditional medicine
treatments is being used at many hospitals in Vietnam.
“Patients with
cerebrovascular disease, for example, are given herbs to increase the
circulation of blood to the brain and physical therapy to help the patient move
normally after a diagnosis based on modern tests by hospital doctors trained in
Western medicine,” she added.
Dr Tran Minh Son, Head of Thu Duc District Hospital’s Traditional Medicine Ward,
said that modern tests could detect disease effectively. “The ward’s doctors
then decide on the best therapy for patients. Medical tests can show if patient
suffer from heart disease or diabetes.”
“If patients have high blood pressure or blood sugar, they are sent to the
hospital’s General Medicine Ward where they will be given Western medicines to
help control the problem, which are better than herbs,” he added.
However, after the blood pressure and blood sugar levels become stable, herbs
are given to prevent further problems, Son said.
“Herbs help reduce harm caused by western medicine used by patients for a long
time. This combination increases quality of treatment for patients,” he said.
Pham Vu Khanh, Head of the Traditional Medicine Management Department under the
Ministry of Health, said the combination of Western and traditional medicine
began in 1945 in the country to provide better primary healthcare.
But it remained underused. In 2014, the Ministry of Health launched an action
programme that called for traditional medicine wards at general hospitals at all
levels (district, city, state). The wards act as advisors on traditional
medicine treatment to hospitals’ top managers and directors.
According to a HCM City Department of Health, the city has 10 general hospitals
with traditional medicine wards and 22 out of 23 district hospitals have set up
a traditional medicine ward. District 1 Hospital is the only hospital in the
city with a team specialising in traditional medicine.
Although 89 percent of general hospitals in the country have a traditional
medicine ward, Khanh said that was still not enough. He said many local
authorities had not recognised the importance of traditional medicine and had
not incorporated the practice in their healthcare service policies.
“The combination of traditional medicine and Western medicine helps reduce
complications. For instance, a woman who has a urinary retention after
delivering her child can be treated with acupuncture. The modern treatment for
the condition such as bladder drainage, urethral dilation and urethral stents
could cause complications, including infection,” he said.
According to the Health Department’s report, the number of patients treated with
traditional medicine only or a combination of Western and traditional medicine
at district-level hospitals and health centres last year increased by 6.2
percent compared to the figure in 2010.
Besides public health facilities, private hospitals and foreign clinics are also
using the traditional/modern medicine combination. For instance, the privately
run American Chiropractic Clinic in the city combines physical therapy with
chiropractic medicine and acupuncture to treat back, knee and neck pain and
other problems.
Khanh said that traditional medicine doctors had improved in both quality and
quantity. “Many of them are very good,” he said, adding that universities of
medicine and pharmacy offer a major in traditional medicine.
In addition, students majoring in Western medicine take courses in traditional
medicine to broaden their knowledge and capabilities.
Son said that more and more doctors now have combined training compared to two
years ago. For instance, his ward has seven doctors trained in both fields.
The country is also rich in a variety of herbs, which are usually produced in
caplets or small bags for patients to use easily.
However, only 10 drug companies produce herbal products, so hospitals have a
limited choice when bidding for products, he said.
Besides improved training and herbal products, equipment used in traditional
medicine treatment has also improved and is more modern than it was in the past,
according to Huynh Tan Vu of HCM City University Medical Centre’s Pain Treatment
Ward in Phu Nhuan District.
VNA