Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau on Tuesday said the city’s first Chinese Medicine Hospital, which opens in December, will serve as an ideal platform to help Chinese medicine go global.

The health chief said the new hospital will receive support from three local universities – the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Baptist University.

Speaking at a signing ceremony of collaboration agreements between the hospital and the universities, Lo said the hospital will benefit greatly from the added synergy.

“Our Chinese Medicine professionals from the three universities can use their rich clinical experience to help the hospital raise its service standards, and collaborate with the hospital to develop clinical standards and guidelines on Chinese medicine, and quickly improve services,” the health chief said.

“More importantly, we hope through the three university's outstanding network with a lot of international and the nation's Chinese medicine universities, [the Chinese Medicine Hospital] can strengthen connections and collaborations with them, and become a core engine of the Greater Bay Area and the nation's Chinese medicine development.”

The hospital's chief executive Bian Zhaoxiang, for his part, said the facility is committed to providing quality and safe treatment for the local community.

“The Chinese Medicine Hospital will closely collaborate with the three universities and local industries, and also with mainland and international experts to make sure that we can provide high quality service to the local [community],” he said.