Tibet sees great changes taken place in the past years, and Tibetan medicine is no exception. The 2,000-year traditional Tibetan medicine enjoys a higher popularity in agricultural and pastoral areas in Tibet.

During the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010), a total of 750 million yuan was invested in developing the Tibetan medicine industry. Up to 2008, Tibet has 1,339 medical and health institutions, with 7,127 beds and 9,098 medical personnel, according to the data from an officially released white paper in 2009.

Tibetan medicine is one of the most complete and influential ethnic medical systems, which has been summarized and refined by the Tibetans over centuries. Also it has adopted certain essences from Chinese medicine, ancient Indian and Arabian medicine.

After the peaceful liberation of Tibet, the government has attached great importance to the development of Tibetan medicine industry, with consistent efforts in establishing Tibetan medicine institutions and strengthening scientific research on Tibetan medicine.

As one of the local pillar distinctive industries, Tibetan medicine processing has been transformed from family workshop into modern industrial system. At present, Tibet has 18 GMP-certified Tibetan medicine manufacturers which can produce more than 360 types of Tibetan medicine.

The Tibetan Medicine Hospital was established based on Moinzekang Institute and Yaowangshan Lizhong Medical College. In the past decades, the hospital has grown into the largest Tibetan hospital with the highest rating across the region, which practically integrates scientific research, teaching and production offering over 260,000 outpatient consultations annually.

With the strong support and special funds from the government, traditional Tibetan medicine is now under better perservation and expects further development.