Wuhan City, Hubei Province, central China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Medical workers helping patients in rehabilitation center
2. Various of Zhang Boli, academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, president of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, in protective suit, assessing, talking with patient
3. Various of Zhang taking notes
4. Various of Zhang studying CT scan
5. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhang Boli, academician, Chinese Academy of Engineering; president, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (starting with shot 4):
"None of our 564 patients saw their condition turn critical. Generally speaking, around six to ten percent of patients would become critical cases, but we saw no one [worsen]."
6. Various of medical workers in temporary hospital
7. Traditional Chinese medicine supplies in box
8. Mobile vehicle producing traditional Chinese medicine
9. Various of machine producing traditional Chinese medicine
10. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhang Boli, academician, Chinese Academy of Engineering; president, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (starting with shot 9/partially overlaid with shot 11):
"Traditional Chinese medicine can solve some great problems. It's a good thing that could serve the health of the Chinese people and all of mankind. Traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine each have their own outstanding advantages. It will be a good thing for the Chinese people to combine their advantages."
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
11. Reporter
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
12. Various of medical workers delivering traditional Chinese medicine to patients in temporary hospital
13. Various of medical workers treating patients

A Chinese medical expert has been helping patients overcome the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by making full use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), with the methods showing strong results in over 500 patients in central China's Wuhan City.

Zhang Boli, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and president of the Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, is now working in a rehabilitation center to help recovered COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, which was worst-hit by the virus in China.

While the epidemic situation across the country shows continuous improvement, Zhang's work at present is based around enhancing rehabilitation plans for recovering patients based on the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine.

In early February when Zhang first arrived in Wuhan as one of the many medical experts dispatched to aid the fight against the virus, there was no effective western medicine that was found to help cure the new disease.

Faced with the severe situation and large case numbers at that time, Zhang proposed providing patients with traditional Chinese medicine, which was adopted by the guidance group from the central government.

He also worked with medical teams from various regions to reinforce the Jiangxia Temporary Hospital in Wuhan, treating well over 500 patients showing mild symptoms with a treatment plan mainly based on TCM, which proved to be highly effective.

"None of our 564 patients saw their condition turn critical. Generally speaking, around six to ten percent of patients would become critical cases, but we saw no one [worsen]," said Zhang.
Thanks to the efforts of Zhang and his colleagues, traditional Chinese medicine is now being applied in the whole process of dealing with COVID-19, covering all three phases of prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.

Medical workers have also selected several formulas which have been effective in the treatment process and have now been added into China's seventh diagnosis and treatment plan for tackling the disease.

"Traditional Chinese medicine can solve some great problems. It's a good thing that could serve the health of the Chinese people and all of mankind. Traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine each have their own outstanding advantages. It will be a good thing for the Chinese people to combine their advantages," said Zhang.