CERTAIN Chinese traditional and complementary medicine (TCM) practitioners in Penang are adopting a safe approach to treat patients during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
They can now provide services in premises licensed by local governments and not at the house of the practioner or client according to the latest SOP, updated on July 31.
They are permitted to conduct face-to-face consultations. However, massages or direct physical contact is not allowed.
Buletin Mutiara today spoke to a few TCM practitioners to garner their feedback on how they are conducting their business.
In Air Itam, Chinese physician and acupuncturist Lai See Chin, who is the owner of the Nyin Oi Tong Medical Hall, said he has turned to online platform to treat his patients.
“Prior to this pandemic, they would be here physically to consult me on their illnesses. However, the pandemic has disrupted our uusual routine.
“We have been treating patients and those regulars here virtually. Normally, I ask them to show their tongue to determine if they are sick.
“Besides that, facial expression can be used to assess whether the person has any illnesses.
“We don’t have any other avenues and we need to be extra vigilant to stem the spread of the pandemic. The pulse treatment and acupuncture service are not available now, so I use this virtual platform to sustain my business.
“On top of that, the cost of a set of personal protective equipment (PPE) clothing proves to be costly. I need to frequently change each time I treat a patient.
“It’s really hurting us during this challenging period,” he related his ordeal to Buletin Mutiara when interviewed at his shop today.
Asked whether his business is heavily impacted, Lai pointed out that his income has dropped by about 50%.
“I would say that I am lucky enough to be able to carry on with my business whereas many of the other businesses had been closed down,” he added.
Sharing his plight as well was the Poh Cheong Tong’s third generation owner, who related that the pandemic has a huge impact on his business.
“We are limiting a patient’s consultation to 15 minutes. This is due to the fact that the pandemic is now worsened and we need to be extra cautious.
“Our customers need to make an appointment before coming for consultations.
“As of now, I am focusing on their physical conditioning and medicines’ intake with strict SOPs, “said Cheah Poh Keong, who is also a Chinese physician and nutritionist.
Keng Gin Hoe B.M Sdn Bhd’s owner, who declined to be named, said her business was not as brisk as before since the virus outbreak.
“We are only selling herbs and other medicine at the moment. As you can see, we can do our best to prevent the spread of the virus.
“We must count ourselves fortunate as we are still able to carry out our business,” she said.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Law Suun Ting