Johannesburg, Jan. 20 (People’s Daily Online) -- The first acupuncture summer school in South Africa held an online opening ceremony on January 19, jointly organized by the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Johannesburg and UJ Confucius Institute.

(Photo/UJ Confucius Institute)

Professor Saurabh Sinha, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg, said the acupuncture summer school is the first summer school of its kind in the acupuncture field in South Africa. Directed to improve students’ acupuncture skills and clinical applications, it is mainly designed for students at the undergraduate level.

The acupuncture summer school will last for four weeks and is expected to be held every year, mainly prepared and taught by Master Tutor, Dr. Hu Zijing.

Li Xudong, education counsellor of the Chinese Embassy, said that Traditional Chinese Medicine is a treasure house of human civilization and plays an important role in safeguarding the health of all mankind. Higher education in acupuncture will be of special meaning for the health corporation between the two countries.

The Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa is under the Health Department of South Africa, which is responsible for the registration and assessment of complementary medical doctors, including traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture.

Dr Louis Mullinder said registered doctors in Chinese medicine and acupuncture are rare in South Africa, and he will fully support the higher education of acupuncture offered by the university.

The University of Johannesburg offers two programs that involve acupuncture training: The Bachelor of Health Sciences in Complementary Medicine (BHsCM) and Postgraduate Diploma in Acupuncture.

The acupuncture training is integrated into the four-year professional bachelor's program, while the Postgraduate Diploma in Acupuncture is aimed at registered practitioners to include acupuncture to their scope of medical practice. Both programs were successfully registered on the South African National Qualifications Framework in 2019.

In February 2020, both the programs were recognized by the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA). Successful graduates will therefore be registered with the AHPCSA as acupuncturists, enabling them to practice acupuncture in South Africa.