Traditional Chinese medicine school inks deal with Kenyan institution to promote herbal medicine

NAIROBI, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Kenyatta University, Kenya's second oldest university, to promote research and utilization of herbal medicine in the mainstream healthcare system.

Paul Wainaina, the vice chancellor of Kenyatta University, said that academic cooperation with the Chinese university will help mainstream herbal medicine in the treatment and management of major diseases in the country. "We are now working with an institution that is well-known in traditional medicine. This is very significant," Wainaina said Wednesday, adding that other benefits to be derived from cooperation with the Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine include training, capacity building and innovation.

The planned establishment of a China-Kenya Traditional Chinese Medicine Center is a key pillar of the new partnership between the two universities. Once operational, the center is expected to facilitate collaborative research and training in traditional Chinese medicine, and the establishment of a world-class laboratory to spur the development of African and Chinese herbal medicine.

In addition, the center will provide a platform for scholarly exchanges, traditional medicine production and enterprises in line with aspirations of China's proposed Belt and Road Initiative. The center will help set up efficacy and safety standards for herbal medicine, and address policy and regulatory barriers hindering their adoption in mainstream healthcare systems.

Nicholas Kamindu Gikonyo, a traditional medicine researcher at Kenyatta University, hailed the partnership with the Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, adding that it will foster research, skills and knowledge transfer in the development and use of plant-based drugs to treat common ailments.

According to Gikonyo, the partnership will also boost the identification of medicinal plants, and evaluate their safety and effectiveness in treating diseases through joint research and knowledge sharing.

Siambi Kikete, a lecturer at Kenyatta University's School of Health Sciences, said that the cooperation agreement with the Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine will be a milestone in harnessing traditional medicine to revolutionize health care in Kenya.

"Together, we are going to do a lot of scientific research and show evidence that traditional or herbal medicine can work," Kikete said, adding that both Kenyan and Chinese traditional medicine have the capacity to improve treatment outcomes for patients.

Founded in 1958, the Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine was listed as one of the key state-construction traditional Chinese medicine institutes of higher learning in 1978 and approved as one of the key Shandong provincial universities in 1981. It is currently the only independent medical university in Shandong Province and is rated excellent in the national undergraduate education evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Education.