XN000022-1997-04-24 — Page 22

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However, for the purpose of the initial registration exercise, the registration criteria as recommended by PCCM are:-

CM practitioners with 10 years or more practising experience in Hong Kong as at 1 January 1995 could be exempted from the universal licensing examination;

CM practitioners with five to nine years practising experience in Hong Kong as at 1 January 1995 and a recognised CM qualification could be exempted from the universal licensing examination;

CM practitioners with five to nine years practising experience in Hong Kong as at 1 January 1995 but without a recognised CM qualification could be exempted from the universal licensing examination but should pass an assessment test;

CM practitioners with less than five years practising experience in Hong Kong as at 1 January 1995 and a recognised CM qualification could be exempted from the universal licensing examination but should pass an assessment test;

CM practitioners with less than five years practising experience in Hong Kong as at 1 January 1995 but without a recognised CM qualification should pass the universal licensing examination.

He stressed that in order to ensure the professional standard of those practitioners to be registered through these channels, the qualifying periods of practising experience should be correspondingly extended if a cut-off date other than 1 January 1995 was to be adopted for the initial registration exercise.

Meanwhile, existing CM practitioners who did not fulfil the registration criteria might continue to practise but they were expected to undergo further training with the ultimate aim of sitting for the universal licensing examination.

The PCCM report also recommended the regulation of the CM trade by way of registration.

"The main objectives of regulating Chinese medicines are to ensure the proper use of potent/toxic herbs, and to ensure the safety, quality and efficacy of proprietary Chinese medicine," Chairman of PCCM's Chinese Medicine Sub-Committee, Mr Tam Ling-kwan said.