Table 2 Practice and regulation of TCM in Brazil and Portugal
From: The internationalization of TCM towards Portuguese-speaking countries
| Â | National Policy | Regulation on TCM | Regulatory authority for TCM practitioners | Regulation on TCM practitioners | License or certificate | Education | Health insurance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brazil | National Policy for Integrative and Complementary Practices (PNPIC) [23] | RDC 21/2014: regulate TCM products [25] RDC 26/2014: registration of herbal medicine [24] | Regional councils [26] | Ordinance GM/MS No.971: establish the health professionals qualified to use TCM therapy within SUS [23] | TCM license or certificate is required for practice, registered with regional councils [26] | University level [29] Professional training [30] | Covered by both public and private health insurance [1] |
Portugal |  | Law nº45/2003: establish the legal framework for acupuncture [32] Law nº71/2013: establish the legal framework for TCM [34] | Central Administration of the Health System (ACSS) [40] | Law nº71/2013: establish the emission of professional licenses to practitioners [34] Ordinance 207-G/2014: establish and characterize the functional content for the degree of TCM Specialist [35] Ordinance 207-F/2014: establish and characterize the functional content for the degree of acupuncturist [36] Ordinance 181/2014: establish the time period and criteria for practitioners to apply for professional license [39] | Undergraduate level degree [37, 38] Transitory system for existing non-university level practitioners [39] | Ordinance 172-C/2015: establish legal requirements to be satisfied by the study cycle for Acupuncture degree [37] Ordinance 45/2018: establish legal requirements to be satisfied by the study cycle for TCM Specialist degree [38] | Covered partially by some private health insurance [1] |