In the downtown area of Pretoria, South Africa's administrative capital, you can see a big sign of red letters on white, with 'Chinese Medicine' written in English, with smaller letters 'Doctor', 'Acupuncture', 'Massage'. Into the shop, you can see the familiar Chinese medicine names, including Liu Wei Di Huang Wan, Wujibaifeng Pill, etc., but also to see a whole wall of herbal medicine cabinet. Here is the One of the 348-year-old Beijing Tong Ren Tang stores opened in South Africa.
In the store, the reporter saw two Nigerian customers consulting at the counter.The 30-year-old black man told 21st Century Business Herald reporter that he passed the store three months ago when he caught a cold. Cold granules, drank a pack and slept, the next day much better this time he was specifically brought her sister to buy antihypertensive drugs, black clerk turned over a thick drug list, recommended to her a box of Kuding .
In 2016, Beijing Tong Ren Tang acquired five local Chinese medicine stores in South Africa and jointly owned Beijing Tong Ren Tang Africa Co., Ltd. Currently, the company employs more than 20 people and its local employees account for 80% of the total number of employees. The five stores are opened in Johannesburg , Pretoria, Durban three cities.
Zhong Peng Tong Ren Tang, chief representative of Africa Ltd. in an interview with 21st Century Business Herald reporter said that Chinese medicine in Africa has great potential for development. As Africa has the tradition of healing herbs, the trust of traditional Chinese medicine far more than the United States and Europe 'If we can establish an international standard for Chinese medicine in Africa, it will help the development of Chinese medicine to the world.'
South Africa is one of the cities to be captured in Beijing's TRT layout in Africa, and as a locomotive for Africa's economy, South Africa has the most complete infrastructure and legal and financial system, and more importantly, as early as 2000, the South African government It recognized the legal status of Chinese medicine in South Africa and provided a powerful legal guarantee for the development of Chinese medicine in South Africa and even in Africa.
Next, Zhong Peng said Beijing Tong Ren Tang will continue to dig deep into the market potential in South Africa and prepare for a joint acupuncture training course with Chinese medicine at Johannesburg University in South Africa. Consideration will also be given to setting up a local chemical plant in South Africa in time to develop herbal medicine and to start a Chinese medicine hospital. In addition to saving lives, we also hope to become ambassadors for the dissemination of Chinese culture and contribute to the implementation of the China-Africa public health cooperation plan. "
South African officials officially recognize that Chinese medicine is legal
In 2001, the South African government established the legal status of 10 non-Western medical treatment services including acupuncture by traditional Chinese medicine and established its legal status through the joint health law. 'South Africa is the first country in the world to receive Chinese medicine. After official recognition of Chinese medicine, Rapid development, many Chinese practitioners registered in South Africa. 'Zhong Peng said.
In South Africa, proprietary Chinese medicines are classified as complementary medicine and are administered by the State Administration of Drugs of the Ministry of Health. Since 2002, the Ministry of Health of South Africa has demanded registration of Chinese medicine products on the market for registration And sales, but management is more relaxed.
'Filing system makes the Chinese medicine industry in South Africa have made considerable development since then, a variety of Chinese medicine import company into large-scale march in South Africa, hundreds of drugs for the record and registration.At the moment, how many kinds of Liu Wei Di Huang Wan was registered to say no Clear. 'Zhong Peng said.
In South Africa, locals have a high degree of acceptance of traditional Chinese medicines due to their traditional culture, and Zhong Peng said that people like 'Kuding', 'Ginseng', 'WUZI' (Wuzi Yanzong Pills), 'Wolfberry' , 'Ganoderma lucidum' Chinese, local people will say, this situation is not seen in Europe.In addition, the black meridian sensitivity is very high, the effect is very obvious. 'Often the Chinese want to bar a few courses, they only need One or two courses.
To promote Chinese medicine in Africa, the price is an unavoidable problem.After all, Africa is the least developed country and the most concentrated region in developing countries. "In South Africa, most low-income people do not have any medical insurance, Pharmacy to buy medicine, Chinese medicine is still slightly cheaper than the price of Western medicine. "Zhong Peng said, 'If the future localization in South Africa, the cost advantage of Chinese medicine will be more obvious.'
Compared with traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese medicine treatment costs are much higher.In Pretoria, Beijing Tong Ren Tang's cashier registration, registration, massage and acupuncture 200 rand, 200 rand and 400 rand respectively. , The price has been cheaper than other cities, they even temporarily canceled the registration fee.It is understood that 90% of the customers here are locals, of which, the middle and low income groups and high-income groups each half .At present, acupuncture and massage have entered High-income groups of commercial health insurance.
South Africa's traditional Chinese medicine industry will usher in a major reshuffle
Under the relaxed filing and registration system in South Africa, some informal Chinese medicine products have also been put on the track and the South African government is determined to clean up the Chinese medicines on the market.
In 2014, South Africa gradually implemented a new Drug Administration Law to regulate supplementary medical products including proprietary Chinese medicines and set more stringent registration conditions. All previously registered Chinese medicine products need to be re-registered. All products must be registered at November 2019 to complete the registration, otherwise it will not be allowed to import and sale.
'This will be a radical reshuffle for the Chinese medicine industry in South Africa.' "Zhong Peng pointed out that many small businesses have not been able to re-register funds and have been able to restructure under the trend of the times, but he said, For large enterprises, this is both a challenge and an opportunity.
However, to deal with the challenge is not easy.It is understood that the relevant departments in South Africa in reference to other countries experience, and gradually refine the requirements of the new act. "According to the relevant personnel said that a drug registration time, in theory, is three to six Month, but it may take as long as three to six years in actual operation. "Zhong Peng said:" Now it is for small enterprises to wait and see large enterprises, and large enterprises are constantly trying to establish effective channels of communication with South African officials. "
For example, South Africa's new Drug Management Act also requires that there must be two official South African languages in the caption of the packaging of the drug, and Zhong Peng said that they sent a review of the relevant department after making a new swipe of the caption and did not get it Confirmation; unclear policies have added uncertainty to the development of enterprises.
Tong Ren Tang will train TCM talents in South Africa and develop medicinal plantation research and development
Currently, less than 200 doctors and acupuncturists in South Africa receive a permanent license, including Chinese, Indians, Pakistanis, South Africans, etc. According to Zhong Peng, less than half of them are Chinese and some are Chinese medicine practitioners from China, some of whom are old Chinese from mainland China and Taiwan, and some are foreign students who have studied in China.
Southwestern University of the Western Cape established the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2003 and is the only full-time Chinese medicine teaching institution currently set up in South Africa and Africa. To meet the demand of Chinese medicine professionals in South Africa, Zhong Peng introduced that Beijing Tong Ren Tang has cooperated with the School of Health, University of Johannesburg, South Africa Basically reached a cooperation intention to jointly establish Chinese medicine acupuncture training, will establish a Chinese acupuncture department and a Chinese medicine museum in the affiliated hospital of the university.
'We will serve as technical support to help them improve the construction of teachers, but also can play a role as a bridge to help them docking with the well-known Chinese medicine University cooperation, they are very much looking forward to' Zhong Peng said the university's administrative process has been Approved the content of the cooperation, now mainly funding and curriculum design issues.
Zhong Peng said that in cooperation with the University of Johannesburg, Beijing Tong Ren Tang will be able to create a large Chinese-medicine environment for students to follow their domestic practice with Chinese medicine practitioners and to understand profound and profound Chinese medicine from an intercessory level. After a period of internship, These students can have a wealth of practical experience, business level will be greatly improved.
In addition, with the increasing acceptance of Chinese medicine on the ground, the South African government has repeatedly expressed to Beijing Tong Ren Tang that it hopes to strengthen the strength of Chinese medicine continuing education. According to the South African Health Management Law, registered Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists, while practicing medicine, Must have a continuing education and receive 40 credits every two years. "We are willing to work with universities in South Africa to organize training courses and share medical information," Zhong Peng said.
Zhong Peng said Beijing Tong Ren Tang is considering setting up a local chemical plant in South Africa to develop local herbal resources and produce marketable products. 'This will not only meet the demand of African countries, further reduce the price of medicines, but also provide the Chinese market and other overseas markets Export and strengthen the industrial chain of Tong Ren Tang. "Currently, Beijing Tong Ren Tang has a production R & D base in Hong Kong.
Zhong Peng said that Westerners long ago noticed the medicinal plants in South Africa, such as aloe vera, baobabs and devil's claws, etc. There are many medicinal plants taken by Western pharmaceutical companies to extract and export to overseas to make capsules And then sell it back to South Africa. "If we planted planting here and started the factory here, we could build a 'Bozhou' (a Chinese medicine valley) here to help solve the employment problem, the agriculture issue and the processing industry Problem. 'Zhong Peng said.
In the more long-term future, Zhong Peng said he also hopes to build a Chinese medicine hospital in the area. "Some diseases that may not be treated by Western medicine may play a role in traditional Chinese medicine such as AIDS, pain, lumbar muscle strain, geriatric diseases and rehabilitation Treatment, etc. "He said, 'This hospital can be called a' complementary hospital 'and covers non-Western medical treatments such as traditional Chinese medicine, natural remedies and ampoules.'
Besides South Africa, Zhong Peng is also studying the possibility of entering other African markets and going to field missions in Botswana, Swaziland and Mozambique. "Swaziland has a land area of only 17,000 square kilometers and a population of only 1.3 million However, all major cities have Chinese medicine shops, indicating a huge Chinese medicine market.
