TCM hospital in Guangxi trains Cambodian doctors in snake bite treating

A three-month training program for a pair of young Cambodian doctors by the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Wuzhou in Guangxi is coming into its final stages. The program is training them how to treat snake bites using TCM.

Photo taken on October 28, 2018 shows a view of the Wuzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in Guangxi. [Photo: China Plus/Sang Yarong]

Starting from the beginning of September, the program includes theoretical courses, including basic knowledge of snakes, distinguishing poisonous snakes from nonpoisonous ones, as well as diagnosis and therapies for snake bites. The two trainees are also engaged in clinical practice under the guidance of seven medical specialists.

Traditional Chinese medicinal liquors used for treating snake bites at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Wuzhou in Guangxi, October 28, 2018 [Photo: China Plus/Sang Yarong]

Liang Ping, deputy director of the Wuzhou Chinese Medicine Hospital, notes the hospital is famed in China for using TCM to treat snake bites. He says they hope to share their medical experience with Southeast Asian countries.

"Traditional Chinese medicine should be used to serve more people and be introduced to countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. Given that the viper species in Guangxi are similar to those in Southeast Asian countries, we launched the program through the support of the Wuzhou municipal government and the Cambodian consulate in Nanning," says Liang.

Medical expert Yu Peinan at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Wuzhou in Guangxi, October 28, 2018 [Photo: China Plus/Sang Yarong]

Yu Peinan is the leading medical expert at the hospital in treating snake bites through a combination of TCM and western medicine. He says the two young Cambodian doctors are doing well with their training.

"They study very hard, which I really admire. We don't speak the same language, so they have to learn relying on translation. They are from a developing country along the Belt and Road route, so I care for them very much. I hope they can learn more and help solve the problems in their country," says Yu.

Cambodian doctor Sieng Buthan at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Wuzhou in Guangxi, October 28, 2018 [Photo: China Plus/Sang Yarong]

Sieng Buthan is one of the two Cambodian doctors involved in the training program. He says the use of Chinese herbal medicine has fewer side effects for the snake bite victims, and costs a lot less.

"I think that traditional Chinese medicine is very good, because in Cambodia (there is) no traditional medicine like that. I have studied a lot especially from Professor Yu. And we don't have to use a lot of antivenoms after we use traditional Chinese medicine. This is very good for the patients," says he.

Antivenom serums are currently the only available method for treating snake bite victims in Cambodia. However, the domestic supply is quite limited, meaning a reliance on imports from neighboring Thailand. As such, the young Cambodian doctors say they intend to bring a significant supply of Chinese herbal medicine back with them.

In the next three years, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Wuzhou will extend the training program to train doctors from other countries in Southeast Asia, including Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand.