Hong Kong Baptist University's School of Chinese Medicine celebrated its 10th anniversary last week, when Secretary for Food and Health York Chow Yat-ngok was among those attending the ceremony. The government has enlisted the help of Chinese medicine practitioners to help combat the human swine flu (H1N1) outbreak, showing the importance it is attaching to this sector.
Baptist U is the first tertiary institution in the SAR to set up a Chinese medicine faculty.
According to the faculty head, Liu Liang, the school currently offers a full curriculum, with a strong teaching staff of more than 200, which is quite an achievement. Its next target is to modernize Chinese medicine by incorporating theories of Western medicine.
Apart from running the School of Chinese Medicine, Baptist U is also producing its own brand of Chinese medicine, called "BU Health."
President and vice chancellor Ng Ching- fai said the brand is produced by a wholly owned subsidiary of the university.
Drawing on the expertise and experience of the School of Medicine's famous doctors and quality-control knowhow, the company makes health products suitable for everyday use by citizens.
Professor Ng noted that one of the products is "Throat Nourishing Formula," specifically designed to help users combat the pressure of the hectic urban lifestyle and air pollution.
I hear it is selling quite well!
The therapeutic effect of Chinese medicine has been gaining wider reco
gnition in recent years, including acceptance by the younger generation. Hong Kong is a relatively small market, but business potential will be vast if a brand can gain a foothold in the mainland.One successful example is the Wanglaoji brand, which saw an increase in business after modernizing its management and packaging.
Shampoo maker Bawang International, which makes its trading debut in Hong Kong today, also has plans to develop health products.
Clearly, health products developed by a university can be serious business. Siu Sai-wo is chief editor of Sing Tao Daily
