Picture shows Zhandui(R), director of the Tibetan Medicine Hospital of the Tibet Autonomous Region accepts the "Famous Tibetan Medicine Doctor" certificate at the kick-off of Tibetan medicine and pharmacology promoting activity, Aug 15, 2009. The Ministry of Health and the State Chinese Medicine Administration Bureau issue "Famous Tibetan Medicine Doctor" cerficates to 16 medicine experts for their outstanding contribution to the development of Tibetan medicine and pharmacology, photo from Xinhua.

The Tibet Regional Health Department held a ceremony to commend some veteran Tibetan medical workers on Saturday with 16 people conferred on the title of "famous Tibetan medicine doctor".

This move was designed to better carry forward the Tibetan medicine and step up its development.

Qiangba Chilie, 80, a famous Tibetan medicine expert and astronomical almanac expert, is on the list of the 16 "famous Tibetan doctors".

He once served as the director of the Tibet Regional Tibetan Medicine Hospital and chairman of the Tibet Regional Tibetan Medicine Association and the Tibet Regional Astronomical Almanac Association.

Qiangba Chilie has published 80 papers and eight books and compiled 13 textbooks on the Tibetan medicines and astrological almanac.

Pubu Zhuoma, director of the Health Department, said that the Tibetan medicine, with a history of 2,300 years, integrates the merits of the traditional Chinese medicine, ancient Indian medicine and ancient Arabian medicine.

As a combination of the ancient philosophy, astronomical almanac, biology and chemistry, the Tibetan medicine is one of the well-protected ethnic medicines in China.

At the end of 2008, Tibet had 18 independent Tibetan medicine institutions with 2,461 workers.