Cambodian medical practitioner Yon Sarat was all ears and took good notes when traditional Chinese medicine experts on Monday presented treatment techniques during a training seminar here.

The 36-year-old nurse at private-owned Polyclinic Hong En in Phnom Penh says the training seminar would give him a better insight into the use of TCM in disease diagnosis and treatment.

"I'm pleased to join this training course because I love the skill," he says while attending the training seminar on its first day. "It will help me gain a deeper insight into TCM, so that I can provide treatment to patients in Cambodia more effectively."

Sarat, who received his first TCM training in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in 2018, says TCM consists of therapies such as acupuncture, moxibustion, and Tuina remedial massage.

He adds that TCM has been used to diagnose, cure and prevent illness and it also reduces the use of modern medicine.

"I would like to thank the TCM experts from China for providing us free training course. It will not only sharpen our knowledge and skills, but also contribute to improving the health of Cambodian people," Sarat says.

"After this training seminar, I will be able to use these TCM techniques to treat patients with bone problems, sore throat, and low back pain more effectively," he adds.

TCM is efficacious to heal a number of issues such as osteoporosis, insomnia, infertility, pain, chronic cough, bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and interstitial lung disease, he says.

Sarat is one of more than 30 local medical practitioners and TCM enthusiasts taking part in the first Lancang-Mekong training seminar on appropriate TCM technology, which is being introduced by the eight-member Chinese medical aid team of TCM for Cambodia.

The training seminar, running from Monday to Thursday, includes theoretical teaching in the morning and practical exercises in the afternoon, enabling participants to master TCM appropriate technology and apply it to daily health maintenance, disease prevention and treatment.

Wang Shuli, a member of the Chinese medical aid team of TCM for Cambodia, says TCM crystallizes profound wisdom with a long history and it is becoming increasingly known worldwide thanks to its unique advantages in human health maintenance and treatment.

"TCM is a great treasure, and as a Chinese, I feel very proud of traditional Chinese medicine," she says. "We hope to promote TCM globally, allowing more people to understand its benefits."

Wang is confident that the participants would gain vital knowledge about TCM after the seminar and benefit from the Chinese experts' rich clinical experience.

Yuan Geng, head of the Chinese medical aid team, says the training seminar aimed at promoting TCM development as well as cultural and technical exchanges in the Lancang-Mekong region.

"All healthcare professionals working for this program possess rich clinical theoretical knowledge and practical experience," Yuan says in a speech at the opening ceremony of the training program.

"They are capable of providing participants with systematic TCM training and assisting them in gaining a deeper understanding of TCM theories."

China has been dispatching its TCM medical aid team to help Cambodia fight COVID-19 pandemic at the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital in Phnom Penh since March 2022.

So far, the TCM medical aid teams have provided free medical checkup and treatment to thousands of patients, and organized short-term training courses for hundreds of local medical practitioners.