Opening a TCM Clinic in Hong Kong: Registration, Dispensing, Waste and Funding
Opening a Chinese medicine clinic in Hong Kong involves more than a lease and a fit-out. This summary lists the main requirements in the order you will meet them, each with an official source. The Chinese version has more detail.
Compiled from public government and Chinese Medicine Council information as of October 2026. It is for reference only and is not legal advice; check the latest official guidance.
1. Practitioner status
- A registered Chinese medicine practitioner (CMP) differs from a listed CMP under the Chinese Medicine Ordinance (Cap. 549, s.2). Listed CMPs may not prescribe Schedule 1 herbs, and their sick leave certificates do not qualify for sickness allowance under the Employment Ordinance.
- A registered CMP needs a valid practising certificate, valid for up to three years, and must display it prominently in the clinic, physically or electronically (Code of Professional Conduct, Dec 2025).
2. Business registration and premises
- Apply for business registration within one month of starting business and display the certificate (IRD).
- The Private Healthcare Facilities Ordinance (Cap. 633) defines medical services as those provided by registered medical practitioners or dentists (s.2); check separately if Western doctors or dentists will also practise at the clinic.
3. Signboards and advertising
The Code of Professional Conduct limits what a signboard, notice, website or newspaper notice may contain. Information must be accurate and factual; comparisons with other practitioners, claims of superiority, guaranteed cures and soliciting patients by visits or calls are not allowed.
4. Dispensing
- A registered CMP dispensing to patients under their direct care, on their own prescription and at their own practice, is exempt from the related retailer licensing provisions (Cap. 549 s.158(2)). Ask the Chinese Medicine Regulatory Office before dispensing other practitioners’ prescriptions or selling herbs to people who are not your patients.
- Proprietary Chinese medicines sold or held must be registered, except those a CMP prepares for patients under their direct care (s.119).
5. Clinical waste
Private TCM clinics are small clinical waste producers, and used acupuncture needles are Group 1 sharps (EPD). Segregate and label waste, obtain a free premises code from the EPD, and use a licensed collector or deliver it yourself within the rules; keep the trip ticket copy for 12 months.
6. Records and privacy
Patient records must include the patient’s name, sex, consultation date, contact details, syndrome, diagnosis and treatment (Code, section 4(2)). The Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance requires collection that is necessary and not excessive, no longer retention than needed, and compliance with access requests within 40 days (Cap. 486). CMPs are also mandated reporters under the Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Ordinance, in force since 20 January 2026.
With Medicloud, each consultation’s record, prescription, receipt and sick-leave certificate are kept in one place and printed straight after the visit, and the doctor can add their own electronic signature on the print page. The first 3 months are free with no credit card: start your free trial.
7. Staff
Take out employees’ compensation insurance for every employee and display the notice (Labour Department); enrol eligible employees in MPF within the first 60 days (MPFA).
8. Vouchers and eHealth
Registered CMPs with a valid practising certificate can enrol in the Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme through the eHealth (Subsidies) system (HCVS). eHealth registration for healthcare providers is free and online (eHealth).
9. Funding
The Chinese Medicine Development Fund’s A1-4 scheme lists TCM clinic software among the items it funds and can fund up to half of a year’s software cost; the Fund decides eligibility and amounts. Anything bought before approval is not funded. See our A1-4 guide. The Fund also subsidises practitioner training under schemes A1-1 to A1-3.
Start with Medicloud
Medicloud is cloud clinic software for Hong Kong TCM clinics: appointments, records, pinyin prescribing, receipts and herb inventory in the browser, with receipt and certificate templates set up for your clinic. The first three months are free with no credit card, with free data import and free customization.