Zimbabwe to explore using traditional Chinese medicine for coronavirus

Zimbabwe highly values traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and plans to set up a unit at the country’s main hospital in Harare to explore integrating the medicine in Zimbabwe’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking at a joint press conference with the visiting team of Chinese medical experts who completed their two-week visit to the country yesterday, Health and Child Care Minister Obadiah Moyo said Zimbabwe was keen to tap China’s traditional medicine for the benefit of its population.

“We have plans to use TCM in Zimbabwe. We are lucky that among the team of doctors who are visiting there is a specialist in TCM,” said the minister.

“So we are going to set up a unit at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals. They have already identified the facility where the TCM unit will be based so that we can be able to develop it,” he said.

“TCM is a very useful area which we are seriously looking at. So the visiting doctor who is here is going to lead us in that aspect and when the next team comes we want to see more TCM doctors coming in,” Moyo said.

He added that the country wants to enhance research collaboration with China on development and use of the traditional medicine in curing the virus.

“We would also want to try the other medicines that the Chinese people have been using for COVID-19 and we can have a combined research effort with the Chinese government to also look at our plants and we get advice on how we can develop those herbs and use them,” he said.

Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe Guo Shaochun said the two-week visit to share and exchange knowledge in fighting the pandemic had been rewarding for both sides.

“Chinese experts learned a lot about how Zimbabwe has been tackling COVID-19 and in turn contributed their knowledge and expertise to Zimbabwe’s fight,” he said.

He said the two-way flow of ideas will go a long way toward defeating the virus and increasing health care cooperation between the two countries.

In addition to technical support, China has donated a significant amount of medical supplies to the country to help it combat the virus.

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