Feature: Traditional Chinese medicine helping more patients in Malta

VALLETTA, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- "Traditional Chinese medicine is amazing and really help," said Andrea Pisanu after completing acupuncture treatment at the Mediterranean Regional Centre for Traditional Chinese Medicine (MRTCM) in Paola, Malta.

Pisanu, an Italian football coach who has lived in Malta for six years, has suffered from back and neck pain for the last two years.

However, after starting treatment at MRCTCM, the 40-year-old said he felt much better. "Now it has become a routine and I come here once a week," he said.

Founded in 1994, MRCTCM is a Sino-Maltese health cooperative, with around 100 Chinese physicians who have treated around 200,000 patients to date.

Ozzy Lino, a 51-year-old Maltese singer and songwriter who has sciatica, told Xinhua: "It was about two months ago that I got acupuncture for the first time. And immediately, I could walk properly again without pain. It seems to really help me a lot."

For the last year and a half, Lino has had difficulty walking due to pain in his legs. "I was doing less exercise and becoming more overweight," he said.

When physiotherapy didn't help with the problem, Lino made an appointment for acupuncture at the MRTCM. "Now I feel much better," he said.

After the treatment, Lino was able to exercise again, which helped him lose weight. "I am very happy to tell all my friends and family about traditional Chinese medicine," he said.

Anke Lauterborn, 57, is planning on taking a two-week internship at the MRTCM. She was inspired to learn acupuncture from a German doctor after getting ill around 10 years ago. Now she wants to learn from Chinese doctors.

"It is a good opportunity for me to come here to learn from Chinese doctors. They are very friendly, competent, and have a lot of clinical practice," Lauterborn said.

Dong Xiaoyan, leader of the 18th Chinese Medical Team for Malta at the MRCTCM, told Xinhua that the center currently treats 20-30 patients every day. Dong arrived in Malta in September, together with her five-strong team.

"With the efforts of Chinese medical team members for nearly 30 years, we have gained a positive reputation among patients in Malta," Dong said.

In the future, her team will implement more charity medical treatments in Malta, she added.