The Macao Centre for Testing of Chinese Medicine, University of Macau (MCTCM, UM), will commence trial operations in March. UM Rector Yonghua Song, together with Vice Rectors Ge Wei and Xu Jian, visited the centre for inspection and to learn about the preparatory work. Song said that the construction of MCTCM adheres to national and international standards. Starting from March, the centre will provide Chinese medicine testing services to related manufacturers and organisations in Macao. It also aims to obtain more accreditations from the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS) through trial operations.

MCTCM was established in 2022 to support the development of Macao’s health industry. By leveraging the academic influence and research foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine at UM, the centre is dedicated to the testing of Chinese medicine in Macao and providing technical support to the Pharmaceutical Administration Bureau of the Macao SAR. Some of MCTCM’s achievements include passing several proficiency tests with satisfactory results and obtaining ISO/IEC 17025:2017 certification, its first accreditation from CNAS. Li Shaoping, director and Distinguished Professor of MCTCM, said that the centre will facilitate the development of the Chinese medicine industry in Macao to support the Macao SAR Government’s ‘1+4’ strategy for economic diversification.

Following the completion and handover of the Medical and Pharmaceutical Testing Building on the UM campus in November 2023, MCTCM optimised its quality management system, and completed the installation, commissioning, and calibration of over 200 sets of equipment. For details of MCTCM’s testing services and the relevant requirements, please visit the MCTCM website at https://mctcm.icms.um.edu.mo/.