Tory MP David Tredinnick asks if NHS can use traditional Chinese medicine after Brexit

A Conservative MP asked the Health Secretary whether Brexit could provide an opportunity to integrate Chinese medicine into the NHS.

David Tredinnick, who has been an outspoken advocate of alternative medicines, asked Jeremy Hunt whether he agreed leaving the EU would “be a good opportunity” to build links with healthcare systems in other countries, before specifically citing China and Chinese medicine.

Speaking in the House of Commons, he said: “Does [Mr Hunt] agree that leaving the EU will be a good opportunity to build links with other countries’ medical systems, particularly those of the Chinese, who have, for instance, integrated Chinese medicine and western medicine to reduce the demand for antibiotics?”

Mr Hunt said Mr Tredinnick was “right to draw attention to antimicrobial resistance because China is one of the big countries that can make a difference on that, and yes, we have had lots of discussion with Chinese health ministers about how we can work together on that".

On its website, the NHS cautions: “Evidence for the effectiveness of herbal medicines is generally very limited.”

It adds: “Although some people find them helpful, in many cases their use tends to be based on traditional use rather than scientific research.”

Mr Tredinnick, the Conservative MP for Bosworth, has also previously said he considers astrology a “useful diagnostic tool” and vehemently supported homeopathy.