Thailand, China to Co-Produce Acupuncture NeedlesWith increasing demand for traditional Chinese medical methods in local market, Thailand and China have agreed to jointly produce acupuncture needles in the country.Mongkol Na Songkla, permanent-secretary for the Public Health Ministry, was quoted by the Thai News Agency as saying Monday that as recently agreed, Thailand and China will co-build a factory to produce the special medical tool and this will also create new jobs for local people. The site of the plant could be either located in the eastern province of Chonburi, or in the northern province of Lamphun, he disclosed. "Another advantage of the joint-venture project is to lower the costs of the needles for Thai patients," said the official. The price for every acupuncture needle will be slashed from 13 baht (28 U.S. cents) currently to one baht (2 U.S.cents) once the local production is available. Demand for acupuncture needles in Thailand is rising 10 percent yearly, with five million needles being used a year while in the world market, the annual demand for such needles is about 5 billion. Regarding the standard of the product, Mongkol said the needles would be standardized accordingly to the criteria set by World Federation of Acupuncture. |
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