Hospitals in Portugal might consider having services offering Traditional Chinese Medicine; including pharmacies to dispense them, said this week the European nation’s Director-General of Health, Francisco George.

Mr George said – as quoted by Portuguese broadcaster TVI24 – this was “the right time” to start steps in that direction. He added the benefits from Traditional Chinese Medicine practice could not be ignored.

Mr George was speaking on Monday at a ceremony inaugurating a new Confucius Institute in Portugal. China’s Confucius Institute is an educational and cultural exchange organisation under an official Chinese body called the Office of Chinese Language Council International. Its goals are to teach Mandarin and promote Chinese culture internationally.

The new Confucius Institute, at the University of Coimbra, has a function distinct from that of the other branches in Portugal: the promotion of Traditional Chinese Medicine in that country, reported local newspaper Diário A Beira.