SINGAPORE – The use of acupuncture to treat migraines and for post-stroke rehabilitation and cancer-related care could soon be integrated into the national healthcare system under a sandbox initiative.

These are among 18 proposals for evidence-based traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatments that the authorities are evaluating under a TCM sandbox initiative, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on July 6.

The other TCM treatments that the three healthcare clusters here have proposed for the sandbox include the use of Chinese medicine for treating gastrointestinal disorders and chronic pain, alongside conventional treatments.

If implemented in public clinics and hospitals, the treatments could become eligible for subsidies and MediSave coverage, which today apply to two TCM treatments: the use of acupuncture for lower back and neck pain.

Speaking at a forum on the use of evidence-based TCM in Western medicine practice, Mr Ong said the latest move follows from his announcement in October 2024 that the Ministry of Health (MOH) was evaluating the efficacy of other TCM therapies beyond those two treatments.

He emphasised that this was not about wholesale adoption of TCM treatments, but a thoughtful selection of therapies that have been shown to work, complementing Western medicine to improve outcomes for patients, including those who do not respond well to conventional treatments alone.

As a start, the proposed treatments will be evaluated for scientific robustness by an MOH-commissioned committee, and then trialled “in a controlled environment” in public healthcare institutions for one to two years.

“During the sandbox phase, our foremost priority is to ensure patient safety and maintain high standards of care,” Mr Ong said. “The evaluation will also enable us to assess the cost-effectiveness of these treatments.”

He noted that TCM is already an integral part of Singapore’s healthcare landscape, with one in five adult Singaporeans relying on TCM services each year, according to the 2022 National Population Health Survey.

“Our vision is not simply adding more TCM services to hospital settings, but to create a really integrative care model where the strengths of both systems can be leveraged for optimal patient care,” he added.

At the forum, Mr Ong also announced that from 2026, an annual national-level award jointly launched by MOH and the Academy of Chinese Medicine Singapore will recognise exemplary TCM practitioners.

There will be two categories of awards – one for outstanding physicians and the other for outstanding educators – and recipients will be awarded a cash amount of $5,000 each.

Nominees for the awards must be Singaporeans or permanent residents currently practising here, with at least 15 years of experience.

The forum – organised by SingHealth and the academy – was attended by about 420 people, most of whom were doctors and TCM physicians.

Addressing attendees, National Neuroscience Institute senior neurological consultant Lim Shih Hui  said the forum, which he co-chaired, would help foster a common language between these practitioners to bridge diagnoses in Western medicine and TCM.

By integrating evidence-based traditional and Western medicine practices, the healthcare system can empower patients to make better-informed decisions and benefit from the strengths of both medical systems, he added.