Exchange teams Italian doctors with traditional Chinese medicines

Italy and China are strengthening ties through traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) thanks to a long-running exchange program aimed at expanding treatment options and improving patient care in both countries. 

At Siena University Hospital, ancient techniques such as acupuncture, cupping and moxibustion are used alongside conventional treatments. 

Anesthetist Dr. Zion Levy told CGTN that he believes these practices still hold significant value in today's medical landscape. 

"Ancient medicine has roots that can have a very important bridge between Western medicine and science," he says. 

In the clinic, TCM techniques have become particularly useful in oncology. Levy explains that breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy are frequently treated with acupuncture to help manage side effects, and the feedback from patients has been "100 percent positive." It is also used for women during pregnancy and labor. 

Siena University Hospital's collaboration with several hospitals in China officially started in 2016 through a medical exchange program. Since then, approximately 100 Chinese doctors have travelled to Siena each year for intensive training across a wide range of specialties.

There are currently collaborations with hospitals in the province of Gansu and the cities of Nantong, Ningbo, Kunming and Beijing.

"We've had neurologists, general surgeons, pediatricians, oncologists – all the specialties of our hospital are open to the exchanges," General Director Antonio Barretta tells CGTN. 

Beyond clinical training, the hospital helps visiting doctors immerse themselves in the local culture, a factor Barretta considers essential to the program's success.

The collaboration flows both ways. Italian medical professionals from Siena travel to China to deepen their understanding of TCM and observe how it is used in different clinical environments. 

In June, Director of Neurosurgery Dr. Francesca Tarantino spent 10 days at the Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Chinese Medicine. 

"It was an important experience for me because I was able to observe traditional medicine in practice in many areas, such as intensive care," Tarantino tells CGTN.

Dr. Levy also travelled to China, spending two weeks at Ningbo Hospital in 2023. "It was a wonderful experience," he recalls. "I brought back all the knowledge I learned — and I can't wait to return."

With a new cooperation agreement signed this year, the partnership between Siena University Hospital and its Chinese counterparts is set to grow further, strengthening professional training, expanding scientific research – and continuing the promotion of traditional medicine as a complementary tool for patient care.