Czech Republic

The European Foundation of Traditional Complementary Integrative Medicine (FEMTCI) is an international institution created in 1989 that, as a private foundation, has as its main objectives the promotion, dissemination, teaching, research and defense of the practice of Chinese medicine at national and international level, under the criteria of quality and scientific rigor. Its mission is to help normalize this millenary discipline in the legal, teaching and assistance framework, ensuring that Chinese medicine is recognized in different countries and at university level.

The Foundation has the support of important and prestigious institutions of Chinese medicine. Initially, it was created by Chinese and Spanish institutions, although today, it has reached collaboration agreements and has joined different prestigious international institutions around the world, working for the same objective as the FEMTC: recognition, development, internationalization and standardization of Chinese medicine.

Legal situation in the Czech Republic

Diagnostics, cure and medication are, according to the Czech law, activities that can be conducted only by the doctor of medicine or by other legally allowed medical staff usually under doctor’s guidance. The title “Doctor of TCM” (or similar) is not known or provided by the Czech Law.

The Czech Law does not recognize the TCM herbal therapy. Herbs are provided under regime of special food supplements, must meet special conditions and be registered as a food product before being put to the market. Subscription of herbs is done by practitioners as a lifestyle advice or simply as a sale of products.

The acupuncture is provided by the Czech law (by the ministerial order published in 1981) that allows only graduated doctors of western medicine who are clinically attested (obligatory specialization for all the doctors of medicine willing to do the clinical practice) and then passed a special acupuncture courses, about 100 hours, held by the organization authorized by the ministry of health. The effect of acupuncture was not clinically proven according to the Czech law, so the acupuncture cannot replace the common western medical treatment.

Insurance reimbursement Patients fund treatment privately. There is no reimbursement for TCM therapies at the moment.Komora Tradicní cínské medicíny (KTCM)

Practitioner: member, who finished his/her basic medical training, training in TCM at an accredited school or passed an examination by the Accreditation Committee of CCTCM. He /she also completed at least 12 months practice confirmed by a CCTCM Practitioner.

Candidate: member, who finished his/her basic medical training, training in TCM at an accredited school or passed an examination by the Accreditation Committee of CCTCM, but has not yet finished his/her 12 months practice.

Student: member, who is undregoing TCM training at an accredited school

Honorary member:  member, who has exceptional merit through promotion of TCM or CCTCM values

Supporters: member, who does not meet other requirements, but wants to support CCTCM values and activities

Basic training required

Two major schools accredited by CCTCM provide

Number of hours TCM theory: 800 / 600 hours Number of hours western medicine: 100 / 136 hours Number of hours practical training: min 150 / 168 hours Number of hours clinical training: min 50 / 52 hours

At the end of this training is required a final exam. United requirements for all new CCTCM members are being created at the moment.