THE new $2.8 million Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) clinic will provide a premium-level service, and target patients from the region.

The new Bao Zhong Tang, or “Treasury Hall” in Chinese, is a joint venture between SingHealth and its equivalent counterpart, the Shanghai Hospital Development Centre (SHDC), which manages 23 hospitals in the Chinese city.

Patients who are keen on trying an alternative will be seen by some of the best TCM physicians from Shanghai, and the treatment herbs will be imported direct from China.

A specialist will oversee the brewing of medication before it is delivered to the patient.

Ms Charity Wai, who leads the Bao Zhong Tang project at SingHealth said: “We’re talking about very high standards of TCM treatment.”

Bao Zhong Tang is part of an overarching deal between SingHealth and the SHDC, signed in September last year.

Apart from building new medical facilities, the deal includes the training of SHDC doctors and administrators on the finer points of hospital management.

The TCM physicians will also collaborate with SGH doctors on several research topics, to see if Chinese medicine can help patients who are resistant to current medical interventions.