Acupuncture hospital returns to health, reviving techniques of 'needle master'

A foreign child with a brain disease receives scalp acupuncture treatment in Yuncheng, Shanxi province.[Photo provided to China Daily]

A tiny acupuncture hospital in Yuncheng, Shanxi province, almost escapes notice in a shady yard next to a bustling street market.

In the late 1970s, Jiao Shunfa, the hospital's former head, invented a method of scalp acupuncture to treat diseases of the brain and nerves. He had secretly studied classics of traditional Chinese medicine for nearly 10 years during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).

Jiao was acclaimed as a "needle master" after he was said to have cured hundreds of patients at home and abroad. In 1986, his scalp acupuncture technique was recognized as a breakthrough in TCM by China's Ministry of Health.

Jiao had organized 56 training sessions by the early 1990s, mostly in the four-story hospital building. At least 1,000 doctors from about 50 countries had attended his classes.

But the hospital's profitability declined dramatically after Jiao retired in the late 1990s. Doctors attribute the decline to competition from Western medicine, as well as the poor management.

Xue Xiaomo, former head nurse at the hospital, said the decline was almost predictable.

"Jiao is a brand. The leading practitioner's reputation is the most important asset of the hospital. People just believe in him," Xue said.

Four years ago, the local government brought in Zhao Jiwei, a veteran neurologist, to revive the dying clinic.

"When I came here, wild grass had overgrown the yard. Almost all the doctors had quit," Zhao said.

But some foreign patients occasionally came for treatment after hearing Jiao's story, which strengthened Zhao's confidence that the hospital could be saved. He decided to focus the hospital on the treatment of cerebral palsy in children, while the neurology department would become the main breadwinner. He used his connections in the field to invite capable doctors.