BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 28. Azerbaijan will
launch diploma courses in Chinese and Korean medicine, Minister of
Health Teymur Musayev said in a joint interview with Azerbaijan
Television’s “Hadaf” program and Trend News Agency.
Speaking about traditional medicine, the minister said the focus
should not be on rejecting past practices or specific methods, but
rather on applying them based on scientific evidence.
“Traditional medicine has a history spanning thousands of years.
Over the past decade, an approach known as integrative medicine has
emerged in healthcare. Later, the term functional medicine also
became widely used, but the concept of integrative medicine remains
very important. This represents a different approach within
everyday medical practice. The issue is not about rejecting the
past or any particular method, but about applying these approaches
based on evidence.
When people talk about traditional medicine, some refer to folk
remedies, and I will not comment on that, as it is a separate
issue. However, when we speak about traditional medicine,
traditional Chinese medicine is an approach that has proven itself
and demonstrated effectiveness in the treatment of certain
diseases, as well as in preventive healthcare.
Traditional Korean medicine and other forms of Eastern
traditional medicine are also part of this field. Azerbaijan is
also an integral part of this process. I would especially like to
emphasize that Azerbaijan’s medical school has always been very
open to such approaches, and this is a positive development. As the
Ministry of Health, we have taken steps in this direction, and
preparations are currently underway to establish a diploma course
in Traditional Chinese Medicine at the Azerbaijan State Advanced
Training Institute for Doctors named after Aziz Aliyev, in
cooperation with Beijing University of Chinese Medicine of the
People’s Republic of China. The course will be conducted in English
and will be open not only to Azerbaijani doctors, but also to
foreign medical professionals from the region and internationally.
Its duration may be one or two years,” Musayev said.
The minister noted that a similar approach is being considered
for traditional Korean medicine as well. “Currently, negotiations
are underway with the relevant Korean official institutions, and
this program will also be introduced in Azerbaijan in the near
future,” he said.
Musayev said such courses could expand the professional
capabilities of doctors and provide patients with additional
treatment options.
“I believe that these courses will be of interest to family
doctors working in Azerbaijan, people with basic medical education
and specialists from various medical fields who are interested in
this area. They will enrich the methods they apply in their daily
practice, expand their range of options and create new
opportunities for our citizens in terms of using different
approaches. These are treatment methods that are widely and
effectively applied, particularly in rehabilitation, chronic
diseases, chronic pain management and other areas. Phytotherapy is
also included here, meaning treatment methods based on medicinal
plants. This is a comprehensive approach. It would not be right to
reject it.
There is public interest and demand for these methods. At the
very least, to ensure that they do not cause harm, such methods
should only be applied by people with medical qualifications. For
those who have received medical education and specialized in any
medical field, this should become one of the factors strengthening
their professional practice. Azerbaijan also has its own
specialists in this area, and a certain school of traditional
medicine has already been established. There are professionals
working both in the private and public sectors. We believe that
involving them in this process will allow us to bring Azerbaijan’s
local traditional medicine school to a new level,” the minister
added.
