The Macau University of Science and Technology’s (MUST) Faculty of Chinese Medicine Assistant Dean Wu Qibiao said yesterday that it has developed an image database of traditional Chinese herbal medicines and a mobile app to distinguish the authenticity of the herbs.
Wu made the remarks in a phone-in programme hosted by public broadcaster TDM’s Chinese-language radio station, Ou Mun Tin Toi.
Wu added that in the past, members of the public were unable to distinguish the authenticity of traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) due to their lack of knowledge. However, with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, people will be able to distinguish the authenticity of Chinese medicines in the future.
Wu also said that AI is widely used in Chinese medicine, which can analyse a large amount of literature and treatment experience, and make up for the shortage of Chinese medicine practitioners in different aspects such as Chinese medicine consultation and assessment of one’s health status by a TCM practitioner.
During yesterday’s phone-in programme, Macau Chinese Medicine Association President Paulo do Lago Comandante said that the local Chinese medicine market does not know much about AI technology, mainly because the AI systems are expensive and the government has not yet standardised systems for technical equipment.
Career paths for Chinese medicine graduates
A caller expressed concern on the programme yesterday that graduates of Chinese medicine specialties find it difficult to find a job in Macau.
Wu said he believes that Chinese medicine graduates in Macau have a wide range of career paths, pointing out that 80 percent of them are engaged in the Chinese medicine profession, working in institutions such as public and private medical institutions, tertiary education, and insurance claims verification, and nearly 50 percent of them continued to study at postgraduate level.
Wu also pointed out that Chinese medicine is a key direction of development for MUST, which has a comprehensive education system and has trained more than 2,000 graduates in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) so far.
Comandante suggested that graduates should consider working in the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, so as to adapt to the medical environment in the mainland, and to prepare for their future practice in the Greater Bay Area (GBA).
Comandante said he believed that the TCM market should be modernised and digitised, adding that the sale of traditional Chinese medicines and healthcare products in Macau is the favourite purchase of many tourists visiting Macau, and that in the future, Macau should focus on the development of medical tourism.
Macau Chinese Medicine Association President Paulo do Lago Comandante attends yesterday’s phone-in programme hosted by public broadcaster TDM’s Chinese-language radio station, Ou Mun Tin Toi.
