“With a RMB 10 registration fee at a community health service center, I can see a Sichuan Famous TCM Physician.” “I used to take a bus to a large hospital, but now I can book an appointment with the TCM physician I want at my local community clinic.” …
To address such challenges as residents having to travel across districts to see a TCM physician, the time and effort required for return visits, and the difficulty of securing appointments with experts, Chengdu Hi-tech Zone launched a program to build community-level Famous TCM Physician Studios. Since the program began early this year, studios have been established at all eight community health service centers in the Zone, achieving full coverage of community-level service outlets.
Community-Level Famous TCM Physician Studio Program
Chengdu Hi-tech Zone has brought together high-quality medical resources from the Sichuan Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital, Chengdu Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and other institutions across the province and city. Using a team model of “one academic leader plus several community-level core practitioners,” experts provide consultations and mentoring at fixed locations every two weeks, enabling residents to see renowned physicians close to home.
The program also provides hands-on mentoring and sends core practitioners for further training, developing a community-level TCM team whose expertise remains in the community. It is building a distinctive service brand and helping high-quality TCM services take root in local communities.
For many patients with chronic diseases, the difficulty of securing an expert appointment at a top-tier hospital and the time and effort required for return visits have long been barriers to care.
Ms. Li, who lives in Zhonghe Sub-district of Chengdu Hi-tech Zone, has been troubled by eczema-like purpura for years. Her condition recurs, requiring long-term TCM care. In the past, she had to make a special trip to a top-tier hospital in the city for every follow-up visit, which was time-consuming and exhausting. Since the Famous TCM Physician Studio at Zhonghe Community Health Service Center opened, a team led by Huang Shiyan, a dermatology expert from Sichuan Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital, has provided regular consultations there. Ms. Li now needs to walk only a little over 10 minutes to receive one-on-one syndrome-based treatment from a provincial-level expert at the community clinic. Registration, prescription, payment and medicine collection can all be completed in one stop.
“I no longer have to compete for an appointment or travel far. The doctor is thorough and the medication is well targeted. Seeing a doctor has become so much easier!” Ms. Li’s words echo the shared experience of many residents who have benefited from the program.
Data shows that since the beginning of this year, Famous TCM Physician teams have conducted 68 community-level activities, including consultations, mentoring clinics and health education sessions, serving more than 400 resident visits in total. The teams focus on chronic conditions common among older adults, such as pain in the neck, shoulders, lower back and legs, hypertension and diabetes, and provide professional treatment plans and health-preservation guidance.
Sichuan Famous TCM Physician Huang Shiyan provides consultations at Zhonghe Community Health Service Center
Sichuan Famous TCM Physician Zhao Yu provides consultations and mentoring at Xiyuan Community Health Service Center
Community-level Famous TCM Physician Studios are both “outpatient windows” serving residents and “classrooms” for training community-level doctors. To date, the eight studios have enrolled 20 community-level TCM core practitioners in training and successfully paired them with provincial-level Famous TCM Physicians and Qihuang Scholars.
In addition to offline mentoring, the program has opened channels for advanced training. Over the past six months, six outstanding community-level TCM core practitioners have been selected for full-time training at Sichuan Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital and Chengdu Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital. The training systematically improves their clinical skills and develops TCM professionals with strong expertise who can stay and serve the community.
“Building community-level Famous TCM Physician Studios is not only about bringing experts in. It is also about leaving their expertise behind and bringing services deeper into the community,” said a relevant official of the Health Bureau of Chengdu Hi-tech Zone.
Photo credit: Tuchong
The Community-Level Famous TCM Physician Studio Program is ongoing. Please find below the consultation schedule for Famous TCM Physicians in August and September:
Online appointment guide: Residents can make appointments through the “Health Hi-tech” mini program.
Next, Chengdu Hi-tech Zone will continue to advance the development of these studios and implement the goal of “supporting one priority disease category and promoting one appropriate technique” for each studio. By the end of 2026, the Zone aims to develop a number of community-level TCM service brands with Hi-tech Zone characteristics, making high-quality TCM services that are simple, convenient, effective and affordable an accessible source of health and well-being for community residents.
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