(Oct 20) A TRADITIONAL Chinese medicine (TCM) centre costing $2.8 million will open at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) next month.

To be called Bao Zhong Tang - which roughly translates to 'hall of treasures' - the centre will complement SGH's suite of services and is expected to become a draw for patients in the region.

It is a joint venture between SingHealth and its equivalent institution in China, the Shanghai Hospital Development Centre (SHDC), which manages 23 hospitals in the coastal metropolis.

Among these are four of China's foremost TCM hospitals.

As part of the tie-up, the SHDC will select a team to be based here from among its best TCM physicians, explained Professor Gao Jie Chun, its deputy director-general.

He explained in Mandarin: 'We see this as a chance to expand the horizons of traditional Chinese medicine. It has such a rich tradition and history, but awareness is very low outside China.

'We can start in Singapore because we have a common language, and this can be our springboard to show the world what TCM is and can do.'

On its part, SingHealth will provide the operational and management support, including administrators and receptionists.

'We think of it as a premium, top-end TCM service,' said Ms Charity Wai, who heads the project on the SingHealth side.

Not only will walk-in patients be treated by experienced Chinese TCM physicians, the treatment herbs will be shipped directly from China, said Ms Wai, who is also the chief operating officer of the Singapore National Eye Centre.

Also, the remedies will be brewed under direct supervision of the TCM physicians before they are delivered to the patient.

The icing on the cake: the SHDC will send six master TCM physicians on regular visits to the SGH centre.

There are only about 200 of these masters, who are conferred the status by the Chinese government.

This is the first time that these senior practitioners - widely considered 'national treasures' in China - will be involved in regular consultations overseas.

Consultations and services in Bao Zhong Tang are likely to cost between $60 and $100.

The SGH centre is part of a larger deal between SingHealth and SHDC, inked in September last year.

Shanghai doctors and administrators have been learning the finer points of hospital administration from their Singaporean counterparts and there are also provisions for academic exchanges.

The deal also has both sides collaborating to establish 'medical facilities'. The Straits Times understands that the two clusters are discussing a joint hospital in Shanghai.

Said Prof Gao: 'We have a large expatriate population in Shanghai, about 800,000 people now.

'One area of collaboration could be a private hospital, as the expatriates are more comfortable with Western-style hospitals and administration.'

SingHealth declined to comment on a possible joint hospital.

It also declined comment when asked if Singapore doctors would be involved in treating patients in Shanghai. Prof Gao had said that Singapore doctors would be welcome in Shanghai.