A bid by practitioners of Chinese medicine to convince the province to fund acupuncture treatments for people on low incomes has received support from the B.C. New Democrats.

The Traditional Chinese Medicine Association, which has been regulated by a professional college since 1996, recently made its case to the health ministry.

Health-care services such as physiotherapy, chiropractic and routine eye exams were delisted by the B.C. Liberals in 2002, which means most people now have to pay for those treatments unless they have extended medical coverage.

Low-income people, however, earning less than $28,000 a year, can still access 10 such professional visits without charge.

If traditional Chinese medicine were also covered, it could save the system money, according to NDP MLA Jenny Kwan.

"At a time when we have major situations and health-care crises, this extension of the service would actually alleviate some of the challenges," she said.

NDP health critic Adrian Dix said the delisting of alternate services that help prevent more acute health problems later has been shown to be a mistake.

A drastic decline in the number of eye exams, he said, shows user fees are a deterrent to some patients.

"The fact of the matter is people are getting their eyes checked much less, and that has real health-care implications. In that case, it's clear from the evidence that it did not save the government money."

The Chinese medicine practitioners hope to hear back from the ministry within a month whether their services can be provided free to those unable to pay for them privately.