A doctor checks the CT image of a patient's lungs in Zhangzhou Municipal Hospital in Zhangzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, Feb. 2, 2020. (Photo by Xiao Heyong/Xinhua)

China on Monday launched a research program to evaluate the clinical value of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) combined with Western medicine in the prevention and treatment of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

The program is led by Zhang Boli, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Eight institutions from four provinces organized by the Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine will participate in the research.

The research will evaluate the clinical efficacy of TCM combined with Western medicine in treating mild cases and the clinical value of such treatment for severe and critical cases.

TCM and Western medicine have their respective focuses and complementary strengths in treating the novel coronavirus pneumonia, said Zhang, adding that the program should serve clinical treatment while strengthening scientific research.

So far, the research team has completed the building of a database and the training of medical professionals and begun including cases for study.