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Inheriting the healing skills from his father who moved to Thailand from China four decades ago, Chen Chantouch, a Thai doctor specializing in Chinese massage and bone-setting, has committed himself to traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, to treat the Thai people.

Working at Hua Chiew Hospital, the biggest TCM hospital in Thailand, which was established in 1995, 30-year-old Chen is among the nearly 3,000 TCM doctors who have registered themselves with the Thai Ministry of Health.

Chen said the decision to become a TCM doctor was his personal choice as well as influence from his father who used to be a Chaozhou Opera artist in South China's Guangdong province. His father learned about folk medicine when he performed in different towns and villages.

"My father had never been to school. What he learned from ancient books, folk experiences and ancient prescriptions have helped thousands of patients," he said. In some cases, TCM even cures conditions that have no solutions in modern medicine, he said.

"Unlike the Western approach which usually diagnoses the condition with a focus on treating and eliminating symptoms, a practitioner of TCM recognizes the body as an interconnected system," he said.

Chen said his belief in TCM goes back to his childhood days. "When I was sick, my father treated me with massage, herbs or sometimes acupuncture. I have witnessed miracles from the treatments while my father's skills were recognized by the neighbors and local Thai people," he said, adding those clients supported the establishment of his father's clinic, which is still running.

He said Chinese and Thai people share similarities in culture and lifestyle, noting that Thai people also treat patients through herbs and massages. However, it was not until the 1990s that doctors practicing traditional Thai or Chinese treatments were recognized by the Thai health authorities, which started to issue them licenses.

More than two decades ago, Korn Dabbaransi, then Thai deputy premier and health minister, broke down barriers by promoting TCM in Thailand. He even led a delegation to China in 1999, taking them on special trips to learn about the production and application of TCM.

After his return to Thailand, he began to promote TCM while clearing the misconceptions the Thai people had about it, and creating an awareness that led to the eventual official recognition of TCM practices in Thailand.

Korn was also instrumental in establishing Thailand as a hub for medical training, research and cure in Southeast Asia in cooperation with China.

Chen's father, who is 80 years old, is among the first batch of licensed TCM doctors in Thailand. Five years ago when Chen received his license after completing his bachelor's degree in TCM at Huachiew Chalermprakiet University, there were not more than 1,200 registered TCM doctors across the kingdom. Now, the number is nearly 3,000.

"Over the past two decades, TCM has seen rapid growth in Thailand with increased recognition from the general public. The recognition intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the Chinese health authorities sent us herbal drugs and prescriptions that helped a lot of patients," Chen said.

At present, Thailand has more than 540 health facilities offering TCM services, according to the Department for Development of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine under the Ministry of Public Health. Nine universities have TCM faculties and colleges training about 200 graduates each year.

"The growing popularity of TCM is reflected in the increasing number of young and foreign patients at my hospital," said Chen.

"Many of my peers are interested in learning TCM. It is also a healthy lifestyle trend nowadays," he said.

"Its philosophy exists in our daily life," he said, citing cooking as an example. "Chinese cuisine enjoys a global reputation. If you go deeper into it, you will find the way of cooking is also a reflection of TCM theory."

Over the past year, Chen has been learning more about TCM from ancient books and experienced doctors from China who would make regular visits to Thailand under the China-Thailand exchange programs.

Chen said his future plan is to convince the Thai health authorities to bring TCM medicine and treatment under the ambit of public health insurance.

"TCM is from the people and it should be popularized for the people. As a TCM doctor, I should treat the promotion of TCM as my responsibility for benefiting more people in the kingdom," he said.