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ii) health talks delivered in Chinese
This additional role might widen its appeal to geographically distant families as well as a
broader spectrum of Chinese people in Telford and Shrewsbury.
Links with other Chinese organisations, e.g. Chinese National Healthy Living Centre should
be built so that good practice in developing and supporting community health initiatives can
be shared.
5.10. Asylum seekers and irregular migrants
As providers of the interpreting service in Telford, staff of the Chinese School had provided
interpretation services to asylum seekers who appeared to be a growing client group.
Although the size of this population is not known, it is important to recognise the presence of
asylum seekers and irregular migrants so that i) health services can respond appropriately to
their needs ii) healthcare providers are made aware of and kept up-to-date on how asylum
status relates to healthcare entitlements iii) protocols are in place for healthcare providers to
respond to emergencies when asylum status is unclear. Although Shropshire and Telford are
not official asylum seeker dispersal sites, asylum seekers and irregular migrants are highly
mobile populations and the number of Chinese entering the UK in the future is not predicted
to slow down.
5.11. Traditional Chinese Medicine
There was evidence for use of Chinese herbal medicines. According to the head of the
Telford Chinese School, these were procured from China, while very few Chinese people
used the Chinese medicine shops in Telford.
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‘Although inconvenient but save us money, normally we will have medicine directly come
from China, prescriptions from relatives in China. Buying medicines over there and send it
over here still cheaper than going to a Chinese doctor here, although inconvenient. Most
people do that here. We can’t afford to pay [to see Chinese doctor here]. The older
generation need that the most.’
She had strong belief in the efficacy of Chinese medicine and its suitability for Chinese
people was not rooted in culture but a difference in ‘physical’ constitution.
‘… This is one reason we hope we can have [Chinese medicine] on the NHS…[Choosing
Chinese medicine] is not influenced by Chinese culture. It is one more option. Our physical
condition we inherited from our ancestors, they are all accustomed to Chinese herb
medicines. It’s more ‘natural’ than the ‘culture’. ‘
There was no evidence for use of Chinese medicine among the focus group participants or
the interview sample. In the focus group, Chinese medicine was ‘another option’ but there
was concern about the authenticity of some practitioners.
‘But the doctors must be qualified. There must be regulation. There are lots of Chinese
doctors doing acupuncture but they are not qualified.’
Focus group, male
A Chinese traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner was interviewed as both a user of
health services and a provider of traditional Chinese medicine. Based on his observations,
20-30% of his patients were Chinese. Among Chinese patients, the common ailments that
they presented with were back pain, digestive system problems, depression, especially
amongst women, and women’s problems, such as heavy menstrual bleeding and
menopause. Depending on the problem, patients received acupuncture and/or herbal
remedies.
Although this evidence is anecdotal, sev