WHO BENCHMARKS FOR

THE PRACTICE
OF ACUPUNCTURE
WHO BENCHMARKS FOR
THE PRACTICE
OF ACUPUNCTURE
WHO benchmarks for the practice of acupuncture
ISBN 978-92-4-001688-0 (electronic version)
ISBN 978-92-4-001689-7 (print version)

© World Health Organization 2020

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Contents

Foreword iv

Preface v

Acknowledgements vi

Glossary vii

Executive summary viii

1. Introduction 1

2. Procedures 3

2.1 Preparation 3
2.2 Techniques 3
2.3 Records 4

3. Facilities 5

3.1 Physical space 5

3.2 Equipment and devices 5
3.3 Waste management 5

4. Safety 7

4.1 Precautions 7
4.2 Contraindications 7
4.3 Infection prevention and control 7
4.4 Incident management 8

References 9

Annex 1. Disinfection requirements during acupuncture treatment 11

Annex 2. Protocol for incident management during acupuncture treatment 12

Annex 3. First working group meeting 14

Annex 4. Second working group meeting 16

iii
 Foreword

The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently implementing its 13th General Programme of Work
(GPW13) to support countries in reaching all health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
GPW13 is structured around three interconnected strategic priorities: achieving universal health coverage;
addressing health emergencies; and promoting healthier populations. These strategic priorities are
supported by three strategic shifts: stepping up leadership; driving public health impacts in every country;
and focusing global public goods on impact.

Traditional medicine has always had a role in this collective endeavour. The Declaration of Astana, renewed
from the Declaration of Alma-Ata towards universal health coverage and the SDGs, reaffirms the role of
traditional medicine in strengthening primary health care, a cornerstone of health systems, in pursuit of
health for all. This has also been reflected in the WHO global report on traditional and complementary
medicine 2019, in which 88% of WHO Member States acknowledge the use of traditional and
complementary medicine in health care.

Taking note of the growing importance of traditional medicine in the provision of health care nationally
and globally, WHO and its Member States have strived to explore ways to integrate, as appropriate, safe
and evidence-based traditional and complementary medicine services within national or subnational
health systems, as committed to in the Political Declaration of the High-level Meeting on Universal Health
Coverage.

WHO aims to provide policy and technical guidance to Member States; promote the safe and effective
use of traditional and complementary medicine through appropriate regulation of products, practices and
practitioners; and support Member States in harnessing the contribution of traditional and complementary
medicine to people-centred health care in implementing the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy
2014–2023.

Setting norms and standards is a unique function of WHO. The normative work is driven by needs and
could be translated into real impact in relevant countries through appropriate policy options. This series
of benchmarks, covering various systems and interventions of traditional, complementary and integrative
medicine, aims to provide a reference point to which actual practice and practitioners can be evaluated.

I am very pleased to introduce this series to policy-makers, health workers and the general public, and I
firmly believe it will serve its purpose.

Zsuzsanna Jakab
Deputy Director-General
World Health Organization

iv
Preface

Integrated health services are essential for the World Health Organization (WHO) in the implementation
of its 13th General Programme of Work, which aims to support countries in achieving universal health
coverage and the health-related Sustainable Development Goals. The overarching mission for the
Department of Integrated Health Services is to accelerate equitable access to quality health services that
are integrated and people-centred, and that can be monitored and evaluated.

WHO is unique in its mandate to provide independent normative guidance. Its normative products
encompass a wide range of global public health goods, including norms and standards. It is therefore
the primary role of the Department of Integrated Health Services to generate and produce relevant global
goods. Key to improving its work in this area is ensuring global public health goods are driven by country
needs and can deliver tangible impacts at the country level.

As of 2018, when 88% of WHO Member States acknowledged the use of traditional and complementary
medicine, WHO’s support in evaluating the safety, quality and effectiveness of traditional and complementary
medicine has continuously ranked in the top areas of need, according to the WHO global report on
traditional and complementary medicine 2019.

WHO prioritizes normative products based on an assessment of demands. To address increasing needs
and to drive impact in countries, this series of benchmarks captures the main systems and interventions
of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine by setting up required norms and standards on
training and practice.

WHO’s guiding principles and quality assurance procedures have been strictly followed in designing and
formulating these benchmarks. WHO will not only assess the quality of these normative products but
also streamline systems and plans for monitoring and evaluation.

I am pleased to present this series of benchmarks and invite you to join us in measuring and documenting
their impact.

Edward Kelley
Director
Department of Integrated Health Services
World Health Organization

v
 Acknowledgements

The World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledges the financial support of the National Administration
of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China, without which the production of this document would not have
been possible.

Thanks are due to the China Association of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Guangzhou University of
Chinese Medicine, China, which kindly provided logistic support to the WHO working group meetings
on this document.

Special thanks go to Baoyan Liu, Jia Liu and Nicola Robinson, who have actively and diligently contributed
to the drafting and editing of this document. WHO is indebted to all experts who have provided their
inputs to the WHO working group meetings and the peer review process.

Qi Zhang and Qin Liu undertook revision work under the guidance of Edward Kelley. Colleagues within
the WHO headquarters team for traditional, complementary and integrative medicine provided secretarial
support.

vi
Glossary

Acupuncture manipulation
Movement of the needle applied after insertion to increase the effectiveness of acupuncture, basically
including thrusting, lifting, twirling and rotating manipulations.

Pressing hand
The acupuncture practitioner’s hand that presses the puncturing site to facilitate needle insertion.

Puncturing hand
The acupuncture practitioner’s hand that holds and inserts the needle.

Reinforcing and reducing manipulation

The therapeutic goal achieved by acupuncture manipulation. Reinforcing aims to replenish Qi and restore
the body from a decreased functional state. Reducing aims to expel pathogenic factors and restore the
body from a hyperactive functional state.

vii
 Executive summary

Why this benchmark?

In 1999, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the Guidelines on basic training and safety in
acupuncture. This presented what professional experts and health regulators considered to be appropriate
training programmes for acupuncture practitioners. 1

A standardized protocol for acupuncture treatment, against which actual practice can be compared and
evaluated, has been lacking. With the increasing use of acupuncture in clinical settings worldwide, there
is an urgent need to develop benchmarks for the practice of acupuncture to ensure its safety, quality
and effectiveness.

This document will join the updated benchmarks for the training of acupuncture to form an integral part
of the serial benchmarks, targeting key modalities of traditional medicine intervention and contributing
to the establishment of a reference toolkit for countries.

How was this benchmark prepared?

Four drafts were prepared during the development of this benchmark document, with intensive technical
support from an expert group based in China. Two WHO working group meetings and an extended peer
review were organized to facilitate the production of these drafts. This process has involved hundreds of
experts in relevant areas worldwide.

In line with WHO established principles and processes for benchmark development, the WHO Secretariat
made the planning proposal and clarified the scope of work. The first draft was prepared by selected
leading experts based on the framework provided by WHO. This draft was presented to the working
group meeting for discussion.

Twenty-three experts from 14 countries across the WHO regions joined the first working group meeting.
After three days of intensive discussion on the scope, structure and content of the draft document, the
meeting was concluded with consensus and advice on further improvement, which guided production
of the second draft. This draft was then ready for extended peer review.

A total of 196 experts from 59 countries covering all six WHO regions were consulted in the external peer
review process. They represented a wide range of expertise needed in developing these benchmarks.
Eventually, 571 concrete suggestions encompassing every aspect of the document, from overall structural
arrangement to a specialized technical issue, were received. This valuable feedback strongly informed the
production of the third draft, which was then ready for further review at the second working group meeting.

The second working group meeting aimed to conclude the consulting process by inviting selected experts
to finalize the document. Seventeen experts from nine countries across the WHO regions joined the
consultation and contributed to the development of the fourth draft, which became the last technical
version of the benchmark before formatting and printing.

1 See: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/66007/WHO_EDM_TRM_99.1.pdf

viii
What does this benchmark cover?
This document is structured in four parts:
‚ Introduction: gives a short briefing on the background and objectives of the document.
‚ Procedures: presents stepwise guidance for the administration of acupuncture treatment.
‚ Facilities: provides the minimum infrastructure requirements for delivering an acupuncture service.
‚ Safety: emphasizes the key elements for the safe practice of acupuncture.

These four parts constitute a complete set of benchmarks for the practice of acupuncture.

Who is this benchmark for?

By setting norms and standards, this document helps to address the gap between the increased demands
and the uncertified delivery of acupuncture services. It offers a useful reference point to evaluate
acupuncture practice which will benefit policy-makers, health workers, education providers and the
public in general.

Qi Zhang
Head
Unit of Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine
Department of Integrated Health Services
World Health Organization

ix
x
1 Introduction

Acupuncture remains the most common form of traditional medicine practice, with its use acknowledged
by 113 Member States in the WHO global report on traditional and complementary medicine 2019 (1).

In 1999, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the Guidelines on basic training and safety in
acupuncture (2). These guidelines presented what professional experts and health regulators considered
to be appropriate training programmes for acupuncture practitioners.

There has, however, been a lack of standardized protocols for acupuncture treatment by which the
practice can be compared and evaluated. By setting up benchmarked requirements for the practice of
acupuncture, this document tries to reduce the gaps and ensure the safety, quality and effectiveness of
acupuncture services.

In addition to the introduction, this document incorporates three essential components – procedures,
facilities and safety – to constitute a set of benchmarks for the practice of acupuncture.

1
2
2 Procedures

2.1 Preparation
2.1.1 Acupuncture needles
‚ Selecting: the practitioner should select acupuncture needles according to the patient’s age, physical
constitution and state of illness, and the location of the selected acupoint (3).
‚ Examining: the practitioner should check the acupuncture needles carefully before each treatment and
discard any imperfect needles (4).

2.1.2 Acupoints
‚ Locating: the practitioner should select the most appropriate methods to locate the acupoints to be
needled (5,6).
‚ Disinfecting: the practitioner should prepare the needling site correctly according to local infection
control guidelines.

2.1.3 Body positions

‚ Lying:
‚ supine position is suggested for acupuncture treatment to the chest and abdomen;
‚ prone position is suggested for acupuncture treatment to the back and waist;
‚ lateral position is suggested for acupuncture treatment to the side of the body.

‚ Sitting:
‚ backward-sitting position is suggested for acupuncture treatment to the forehead, face, neck,
upper limbs and chest;
‚ forward-sitting position is suggested for acupuncture treatment to the vertex, occiput, shoulders
and back.

Other positions can be decided by the practitioner and patient for the convenience of providing treatment.

2.1.4 Other preparations

‚ The practitioner should maintain a professional attitude and personal hygiene.
‚ The patient should dress appropriately for the convenience of the treatment.

2.2 Techniques
2.2.1 Holding
‚ The practitioner should pay strict attention to appropriate disinfection of their hands before administering
acupuncture.
‚ The practitioner should hold the handle or the body of the acupuncture needle appropriately with
two or three fingers.

3
 2.2.2 Inserting
‚ The practitioner should decide the most appropriate insertion method according to the location of the
acupoint and the selection of needles.
‚ The practitioner should insert the needle by using the puncturing hand and the pressing hand in an
appropriate manner.
‚ The practitioner should insert the needle at the appropriate angle and depth according to the acupoint
location, purpose of treatment and physical condition of the patient, to ensure safe and effective practice.

2.2.3 Manipulating
‚ The practitioner should perform appropriate thrusting, lifting, twirling and rotating manipulations to
obtain the needling sensation and treatment effectiveness (7).
‚ The practitioner could perform pressing manipulation along the meridian with the fingers to enhance
the needling sensation.

2.2.4 Retaining
‚ The practitioner should determine the duration of time required for needle retention according to the
patient’s situation.
‚ The practitioner could perform needle retention with or without intermittent needling manipulation
as appropriate.

2.2.5 Withdrawing
‚ The practitioner should lift the needle slightly until the release of a tight sensation around the shaft
and then withdraw the needle.
‚ The practitioner should hold a clean swab to assist withdrawing and may press the acupuncture site
immediately after withdrawing.

2.3 Records
2.3.1 Information to be recorded
‚ chief complaint and medical history;
‚ physical examination;
‚ pattern differentiation and therapeutic principle;
‚ acupuncture prescription and patient’s consent;
‚ needling details and patient’s response;
‚ treatment outcomes and any incidents (8);
‚ further advice, including follow-up, if needed.

2.3.2 Maintenance of records

The practitioner should keep complete patient records in the correct manner, as specified by local laws
and regulations.

4
3 Facilities

3.1 Physical space

‚ The working environment and surrounding area should be clean and tidy.
‚ The treatment area should be well lit, be of an appropriate temperature, and have adequate ventilation.
‚ The treatment area should comply with the local requirements for patient privacy and protection.
‚ The storage environment for acupuncture needles and related devices should be kept dry and ventilated.
‚ The physical space should be appropriate for disabled access.

3.2 Equipment and devices

‚ bed and stool for the treatment;
‚ screen and towel for patient privacy and protection;
‚ acupuncture needles of different specifications;
‚ related devices to enhance acupuncture treatment;
‚ related devices for adjunctive treatment;
‚ equipment and devices for the hygiene requirements;
‚ emergency equipment for first aid.

3.3 Waste management

‚ After use, disposable needles should be placed and stored in a sharps container and disposed of in
the appropriate manner.
‚ Infectious waste should be handled appropriately according to local infection control guidelines.
‚ Non-infectious waste should be disposed of properly in a timely manner.

5
6
4 Safety

4.1 Precautions
4.1.1 Before treatment
‚ The patient should be informed of the possible benefits and potential risks associated with the treatment.
‚ The practitioner should obtain informed consent from the patient before treatment, either orally or
in writing.

4.1.2 During treatment

‚ The force of manipulation, including the depth of thrusting, length of lifting, and angle, frequency
and duration of twirling and rotating, should be decided based on the patient’s health condition and
response and the main objectives of the treatment.
‚ Attention should be directed to withdrawing the acupuncture needle from body regions with a tendency
to bleed. Pressing with a clean swab is required in this case to avoid bleeding.

4.1.3 After treatment

‚ The practitioner should ensure all acupuncture needles have been removed from the patient.
‚ The practitioner should document the patient’s records pertaining to the treatment.
‚ The practitioner should provide the patient with further advice after the treatment, as needed.

4.2 Contraindications
4.2.1 By disease and syndrome
‚ Acupuncture treatment should not be administered to people with a disturbance of blood coagulation.
‚ Acupuncture treatment should not be administered to people with unstable epilepsy.

4.2.2 By condition
‚ Acupuncture treatment should not be administered to infants on the fontanelle before it has closed.
‚ Acupuncture treatment should not be administered to the lower abdomen or lumbosacral region in
women who are pregnant, to avoid contraction of the uterus.

4.2.3 By treatment region

‚ Acupuncture treatment should not be administered to body regions where there are ulcers, sores or scars.
‚ The depth of needle insertion should be strictly controlled for acupoints located close to vital blood
vessels, nerve trunks and vital organs.

4.3 Infection prevention and control

Annex 1 gives detailed information on the requirements of disinfection. Key elements for infection
prevention and control during acupuncture treatment are:

7
 ‚ sterilization of reusable acupuncture needles;
‚ disinfection of other apparatus;
‚ hygiene of the practitioner’s hands (9);
‚ hygiene of the acupoint sites;
‚ disinfection of the materials;
‚ disinfection of the treatment area.

4.4 Incident management

Annex 2 gives detailed information on managing incidents that may be encountered during acupuncture
treatment (10). Examples of such incidents include:
‚ fainting;
‚ excessive pain during needling;
‚ stuck needle;
‚ bent needle;
‚ broken needle;
‚ pneumothorax;
‚ nerve injury;
‚ vascular injury;
‚ organ injury.

8
References

1. WHO global report on traditional and complementary medicine 2019. Geneva: World Health
Organization; 2019 (https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/312342/9789241515436-eng.
pdf, accessed 28 July 2020).

2. Guidelines on basic training and safety in acupuncture. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1999
(https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/66007/WHO_EDM_TRM_99.1.pdf, accessed 28
July 2020).

3. Acupuncture needles. Beijing: Standardization Administration of People’s Republic of China; 2016.

4. Standardized manipulation of acupuncture and moxibustion part 20: basic techniques of filiform
needle. Beijing: Standardization Administration of People’s Republic of China; 2009.

5. Nomenclature and location of acupuncture points. Beijing: Standardization Administration of People’s

Republic of China; 2006.

6. WHO standard acupuncture point locations in the Western Pacific region. Manila: World Health
Organization; 2008.

7. Standardized manipulation of acupuncture and moxibustion part 21: filiform needle manipulation by
basic applying technique. Beijing: Standardization Administration of People’s Republic of China; 2013.

8. Minimal information model for patient safety incident reporting and learning systems. Geneva: World
Health Organization; 2016 (https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/255642/WHO-HIS-SDS-
2016.22-eng.pdf, accessed 28 July 2020).

9. WHO guidelines on hand hygiene in health care. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2009 (https://
apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/44102/9789241597906_eng.pdf, accessed 28 July 2020).

10. Handling methods for acupuncture abnormal conditions. Beijing: Standardization Administration of
People’s Republic of China; 2016.

9
10
Annex 1. Disinfection requirements during
acupuncture treatment

Disinfection required during acupuncture provision should be conducted according to local infection
control guidelines by considering the following principles:
‚ Sterilization of reusable acupuncture needles: reusable acupuncture needles should be sterilized.
Disposable single-use sterile needles are strongly recommended and shouldn’t be reused.
‚ Disinfection of other apparatus: apparatus in direct contact with acupuncture needles should be
properly disinfected before each application.
‚ Hygiene of the practitioner’s hands: the practitioner should clean and disinfect their hands and fingers
before and after providing acupuncture treatment.
‚ Hygiene of the acupoint sites: acupoints and the surrounding areas should be disinfected before
acupuncture treatment is given.
‚ Disinfection of the materials: materials in direct contact with the patient, including but not limited to
sheets and towels, should be disinfected or disposable. Materials without direct contact, including but
not limited to mattress and pillow, should be hygienically maintained for each use.
‚ Disinfection of the treatment area: the treatment room, equipment and devices should be kept clean
and tidy.

11
 Annex 2. Protocol for incident management
during acupuncture treatment

A2.1 Fainting
‚ Stop needling immediately.
‚ Withdraw all needles from the patient.
‚ Have the patient lie down and rest in a comfortable position.
‚ Assess and refer as appropriate.

A2.2 Excessive pain during needling

‚ Stop needling immediately.
‚ Remove the needle from the patient.
‚ Reassure the patient.
‚ Have the patient rest in a comfortable position.

A2.3 Stuck needle

‚ Stop immediately if manipulating.
‚ Reassure the patient.
‚ Ask the patient to revert to the original position if applicable.
‚ Rotate the needle in reverse in case of excessive twisting in one direction.
‚ Tap local area to relieve spasm.

A2.4 Bent needle

‚ Stop immediately if manipulating.
‚ Reassure the patient.
‚ Ask the patient to revert to original position if applicable.
‚ Withdraw the needle gently in the direction of bending.

A2.5 Broken needle

‚ Stop needling immediately.
‚ Reassure the patient.
‚ Ask the patient to maintain current body position.
‚ Hold and withdraw the exposed fragment of the needle with a sterile tweezer.
‚ Refer for surgery if the broken fragment is submerged under the skin.

12
A2.6 Pneumothorax
‚ Stop needling immediately.
‚ Withdraw all needles from the patient.
‚ Reassure the patient.
‚ Have the patient rest in a suitable position.
‚ Assess and refer to other health-care professionals as appropriate.

A2.7 Nerve injury

‚ Stop needling immediately.
‚ Remove the needle from the patient.
‚ Reassure the patient.
‚ Apply a cold compress.
‚ Assess and refer to other health-care professionals as appropriate.

A2.8 Vascular injury

‚ Stop needling immediately.
‚ Remove the needle from the patient.
‚ Reassure the patient.
‚ Press with a dry sterile swab for slight bleeding.
‚ Use a cold compress for moderate hematoma.
‚ Apply compression bandaging for continuous bleeding.
‚ Assess and refer to other health-care professionals as appropriate.

A2.9 Organ injury

‚ Stop needling immediately.
‚ Withdraw all needles from the patient.
‚ Assess and refer to other health-care professionals as appropriate.

13
 Annex 3. First working group meeting

Participants
WHO Region of the Americas
Terry Wai-Tin Hui, Cosmos Integrative Health Centre, Canada

Jian Kong, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, United
States of America

Paulo Roberto Sousa Rocha, Consultant, National Policy of Integrative and Complementary Medicine
Practices, Primary Health Care Department, Ministry of Health, Brazil

Weidong Yu, Chair, Traditional Chinese Medicine-Acupuncture Program Advisory Committee, Kwantlen
Polytech University, Canada

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region

Amir Hooman Kazemi, Traditional Medicine Faculty, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Islamic Republic
of Iran

WHO European Region

Hongguang Dong, Director, Division of Integrative Medicine, La Tour Hospital, Switzerland

Claudia Ghilardi, WHO Collaborating Centre for Traditional Medicine, Italy

Raphaël Nogier, President, Groupe Lyonnais d’Etudes Médicales, France

Pedro Ribeiro da Silva, Directorate General of Health, Portugal

WHO South-East Asia Region

Tawat Buranatawonsom, Institute of Thai-Chinese Medicine, Department for Development of Thai
Traditional and Alternative Medicine, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand

Koosnadi Saputra, National Institute of Health Research and Development, Ministry of Health, Indonesia

WHO Western Pacific Region

Yaolong Chen, Head of GRADE Center, Lanzhou University, China

Kim Kun Hyung, Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Korean Medicine Hospital, Pusan National
University, Republic of Korea

Baoyan Liu, President, World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies, China

Farisah Binti Shaari, Senior Principal Assistant Director, Traditional and Complementary Division, Ministry
of Health, Malaysia

Chunzhi Tang, Dean, Acupuncture and Tuina School, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, China

14
Nenggui Xu, Vice President, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, China

Charlie Changli Xue, Dean, School of Health Sciences, RMIT University, Australia

Fang Zeng, Vice Dean, Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,
China

Observers
Zhaoxiang Bian, Director and Chair Professor of Clinical Division, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong
Baptist University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China

Yi Feng, Associate Professor, Institute of Acupuncture Research, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan
University, China

Yufeng Qiu, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, China

Ling Zhao, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China

WHO Secretariat
Qi Zhang, Coordinator, Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Service Delivery and Safety,
WHO, Switzerland

Lin Zheng, Volunteer, Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Service Delivery and Safety,
WHO, Switzerland

Local Secretariat
Jia Liu, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, China

Hong Zhao, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, China

Guoxin Zhong, Acupuncture and Tuina School, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, China

15
 Annex 4. Second working group meeting

Participants
WHO African Region
Anastasia Michaelina Yirenkyi, Acting Director, Traditional and Alternative Medicine, Ministry of Health,
Ghana

WHO Region of the Americas

Iva Lloyd, President, World Naturopathic Federation, Canada

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region

Amir Hooman Kazemi, Traditional Medicine Faculty, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Islamic Republic
of Iran

WHO European Region

Mehmet Zafer Kalayci, Head, Traditional and Complementary Medicine Department, Ministry of Health,
Turkey

Hedwig Luxenburger, President, International Council of Medical Acupuncture and Related Techniques,
Germany

WHO South-East Asia Region

Panita Kasomson, Huachiew Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic, Thailand

WHO Western Pacific Region

Yi Guo, Dean, College of Clinical Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China

Longxiang Huang, Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical
Sciences, China

Yong-Suk Kim, Chief, Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Hospital of Korean Medicine, Kyung
Hee University, Republic of Korea

Lixing Lao, Director, School of Chinese Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region, China

Yachan Li, Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Traditional Medicine, Health Bureau, Macao Special
Administrative Region, China

Fengxia Liang, Vice Dean, College of Acupuncture and Orthopedics, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, China

Baoyan Liu, President, World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies, China

Hua Wang, Former President, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, China

16
Christopher Zaslawski, Discipline Leader, Chinese Medicine, School of Life Sciences, University of
Technology Sydney, Australia

Hong Zhao, Vice President, Acupuncture and Moxibustion Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical
Sciences, China

Observer
Salih Mollahaliloglu, Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, Turkey

WHO Secretariat
Qi Zhang, Coordinator, Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Service Delivery and Safety,
WHO, Switzerland

Qin Liu, Technical Officer, Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Service Delivery and
Safety, WHO, Switzerland

Local Secretariat
Jingzhi Wang, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, China

Xuqiang Wei, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, China

17
Department of Integrated Health Services
World Health Organization (WHO)
Avenue Appia 20 – CH-1211 Geneva 27 – Switzerland