The Chinese Medicine Regulatory Office of the Department of Health is, among others, responsible for:
- the enforcement of the Chinese Medicine Ordinance, which was passed by the Legislative Council on 14 July 1999. The Ordinance provides for the regulation of the practice of Chinese medicine practitioners and the use, manufacture and trading of Chinese medicines.
- providing professional and administrative support to the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong. The Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong, established under the Chinese Medicine Ordinance in September 1999, is responsible for implementing regulatory measures for Chinese medicine.
- conducting Chinese medicine related public health and health promotion activities.
- liaising with local and overseas institutions and government departments for information about Chinese medicine.
- establishing the Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute (GCMTI) to specialise in the testing of, and scientific research on, Chinese medicines with a view to setting internationally recognised reference standards for the safety, quality and testing methods of Chinese medicines. Under GCMTI’s purview, the Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards Section manages and co-ordinates the Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards project, which is for the development of standards for some commonly used Chinese Materia Medica.
The World Health Organization (WHO) designated the Chinese Medicine Regulatory Office of the Department of
Health as the Collaborating Centre
for Traditional Medicine in April 2012