Lei Jufang: Tibetan medicine is becoming a self-sustaining growth engine for the ethnic industry.

　　On the afternoon of January 8, a reporter from our station’s Lhasa bureau interviewed Ms. Lei Jufang, Chairwoman of Qizheng Tibetan Medicine—a company that has successfully gone public on the A-share market—at the scene of the Third Session of the Ninth Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) of the Tibet Autonomous Region. As an old friend of ours, Ms. Lei provided us with a brief and enjoyable conversation about the development of Tibetan medicine in Tibet.

　　Speaking of the journey of past development, Lei Jufang has many heartfelt reflections. She says that ten years ago, Tibet gained the authority to approve registration numbers for Tibetan medicines and attracted some exceptionally talented Tibetan medicine experts. These experts helped secure registration numbers for a number of Tibetan medicinal products—such as Qizheng Xiaotong Tie—and thus enabled these industries to acquire independent intellectual property rights, laying a solid industrial foundation for Tibetan medicine in Tibet. As someone who has witnessed the development of Tibetan medicine in Tibet for 16 years, I often feel deeply grateful for the support provided over the years by the government and people from all ethnic groups and sectors across Tibet. Thanks to this support, Qizheng Tibetan Medicine successfully listed on the A-share market last year, marking a new milestone in its industrial journey and establishing a strong foundation for its future internationalization.

　　Speaking about future development, she told reporters that the new healthcare reform introduced in 2009 presented an opportunity for China’s 6,000 pharmaceutical manufacturers—but once again, Tibetan medicine has missed the chance to be included in the National Essential Medicines List and the Medical Insurance Drug List. This situation is closely tied to the foundation of the industry’s development: nationwide awareness of Tibetan medicine from Tibet remains relatively low. To build a thriving industry, we need to do extensive work in cultural promotion and cultural integration.

　　She believes that the development of Tibetan medicine needs to overcome three major hurdles: First, culture—over 99% of people in mainland China are unfamiliar with Tibetan medicine, and more communication is needed to foster mutual understanding. Second, innovation—while embracing innovation, we must rely on data to demonstrate that Tibetan medicine is indeed a shining gem in the industry. The third hurdle is respecting and protecting intellectual property rights, which will enable us to break through market barriers.

　　Lei Jufang said that for the industry to develop, it absolutely requires strong government support. She put forward several suggestions: First, establish a leading group for the industry to formulate plans for its future development. The government needs to set five-year goals and even longer-term project plans. Second, integrate the industry, pool strengths, and build the capacity for collaborative, group-based operations. Third, the government and the industry should work together to include Tibetan medicine in the national medical insurance drug list and use this inclusion as a key performance indicator for assessing departmental achievements. Fourth, strive to include Tibetan medicine in the “12th Five-Year Plan.” Fifth, support innovation in Tibetan medicine. Without innovation, our outstanding traditional Tibetan medical culture will lose its luster. This includes setting up an industry innovation fund to support secondary research and development of high-quality Tibetan medicines, thus creating cultural carriers that represent both Tibetan culture and Tibet’s level of scientific and technological advancement. Sixth, view the entire Tibetan medicine industry—from cultivation of medicinal herbs and protection of pharmaceutical resources all the way through to the development of medicinal materials, the research and development of new drugs, and market promotion—as a holistic industrial layout.

　　Finally, she stated that Tibetan medicine has great development potential. With its long history and distinctive characteristics, it will become the self-sustaining growth engine for Tibet’s ethnic industries in the future. Qizheng Tibetan Medicine will also intensify cultural dissemination through various channels, foster innovation and concentrate industrial strengths, and once again achieve remarkable success.