Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Serbia / 国际中医中药杂志

ABSTRACT

Serbia is a parliamentary republic country in Southeast Europe. It implements a health security system with social insurance as the mainstay and social assistance as a supplement. Ischemic heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease are the major causes of death, and the mortality rates of cardiomyopathy and chronic kidney disease are increasing. Serbia has relevant legislation on traditional medicine. Acupuncture, as the main form of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has been introduced to Serbia in an early stage. Acupuncture was recognized as a legal medical method in 2005, and then the corresponding educational institutions of TCM were established soon. However, the limitation of acupuncture treatment application, difficulty in access to Chinese medicine, and undeveloped of TCM education system, all of them restrict the development of TCM in Serbia. It is recommended to improve the development and dissemination of Chinese medicine in Serbia, like to increase the promotion of acupuncture, pay attention to the Chinese medicine for preventive health care, and strengthen TCM education.