TCM experts aid epidemic control efforts in the Philippines online

A new platform called Yue Ren Xiao Bao made its debut on Friday in a bid to aid overseas Chinese and Chinese civilians in the Philippines in the battle against the coronavirus epidemic. It's the first Chinese anti-epidemic online platform supported by traditional Chinese medicine experts.

The question,"What can we do to let our university contribute its part to help overseas Chinese in the fight against the virus?"has been haunting the mind of Li Candong, the head of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the director of the diagnostic branch of China Association of Chinese Medicine.

"We should utilize our kinship and geographical superiority to help overseas Chinese and Chinese civilians in the Philippines in this critical time," Li said. He also noted that some necessary consultations and services should be provided for them.

Chen Shujiao, director of the Health Management Center of the Third Affiliated People's Hospital of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, showed a journalist from Chinanews how to use the newly-launched platform on Monday.

Users should upload their disease history, face image, a picture of their tongue, recording tape and questionnaire assessment after logging into the platform through scanning a QR code.

The latest report is available after a few minutes, with symptom information collection and recognition tables and suggestions targeting the prevention of the virus.

The four diagnostic methods of TCM are through examination of the tongue, face, auscultation, or listening to sounds from the body's organs, and olfaction, or using the sense of smell. These are combined in the platform to provide medical assessment information and risk warning of disease through data collection and analysis.

"I hope this platform can put our university's academic edges into full play to help the Philippines ride out this difficult times", said Zhang.

With many consultations coming from overseas Chinese in the Philippines, "they hail the culture of traditional Chinese medicines", said Zhang, who worked in the Philippines TCM Center in 2019.

Led by Dr. Li Candong, Yue Ren Xiao Bao is the first overseas project launched by the Philippines TCM Center and applied by Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

According to Li, this platform is available to overseas Chinese, Chinese civilians and overseas students who want advice from TCM experts after filling in relevant information.

"Many overseas Chinese are the descendants of the people in Jinjiang city", he said after claiming the platform will be set up with lectures using the south Min dialect, a dialect using in Jinjiang, a city in the East China' s Fujian province.

Besides the efforts of TCM supporting overseas Chinese online, the University of Traditional Chinese Medicine also sent 102 medical workers to Central China's Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak on the Chinese mainland. Now, the Fujian medical workers are coming back from the front line.

Lin Yuanjun contributed to this story.