Chinese doctor An Jing (R) practices acupuncture treatment on a patient at the Mediterranean Regional Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine (MRCTCM) in Paola city, Malta, Aug. 17, 2018.(Xinhua/Yuan Yun)
VALLETTA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Despite having studied and practiced Western medicine for many years, Charles Savona Ventura, a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Malta, has dedicated the past four years to promoting the teaching of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in Malta.
"2014 was exactly the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malta. We had wanted to conduct academic cooperation with Chinese universities," he told Xinhua.
Savona Ventura recalled the moment that it all began: "On the flight to China, I raised it with the (university) rector: Why can't we try to carry out academic cooperation in Chinese medicine?"
Savona Ventura's idea did not occur in a vacuum. In 1994, China established the first traditional Chinese medicine center in Europe, the Mediterranean Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, in Malta.
Then, in 2008, the center set up a Chinese medicine clinic in the newly-built Mater Dei national hospital in Malta. For the first time, Chinese medicine featured at an EU national hospital in the form of an independent department.
Chinese doctor Wang Fei practices cup therapy on a patient at the Mediterranean Regional Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine (MRCTCM) in Paola city, Malta, Aug. 17, 2018. (Xinhua/Yuan Yun)
The influence of TCM in Malta is increasing. But the clinic at Mater Dei often has more patients than it can handle. When Savona Ventura saw this situation, he came up with the idea of training more local Chinese medicine professionals.
This idea was the start of the close relationship between Savona Ventura and TCM and was the preface to the cooperation between the University of Malta and Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
In May 2015, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine signed a cooperation agreement with the University of Malta to establish a TCM clinic and offer a master's degree program in traditional Chinese medicine and culture.
Nothing worth having is easily obtained, however, Savona Ventura found challenges at every turn. The first challenge Savona Ventura faced was adapting TCM courses to the European curriculum system.
"This was not an easy task. We had no other examples to refer to," Savona Ventura could only study with his colleagues and communicate with the teachers in Shanghai. Eventually, they were able to design a more suitable course system.
Seven students enrolled in the initial course.
Six teachers were dispatched from Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine to teach courses in Malta. Meanwhile, two doctors were sent to the clinic which used to treat patients and provide clinical practice to students.
"The feedback we have from the professors, they said that students were very good, very interested, they do very well, they scored very high marks," Savona Ventura told Xinhua.
Nevertheless, the second challenge came soon: the course required applicants, but as it is based in Malta, which is one of the smallest countries in the world, the numbers of students in each intake are modest.
To attract more students from around the world, Savona Ventura and his colleagues spared no effort. As a result, seven students from Malta, Germany, Serbia, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and other countries have signed up for the 2018 master's degree program.
"In addition to recruiting Masters students, we also have the task of promoting the culture of Chinese medicine," Savona Ventura said. To this end, the TCM center provides medical services to all, organizes medical lectures, and has opened its TCM course to the general public.
"We have achieved our target and purpose, but we could always do better," said Savona Ventura, hopeful for the future of teaching Chinese traditional medicine in Malta.
