Materia Medica Malaysiana

Doctors can now advertise but not oversell

Doctors and hospitals can now advertise their services.
However, they cannot exaggerate their abilities and facilities or oversell themselves.
The Malaysian Medical Association has decided to allow this to enable the public and the world to know what Malaysia has to offer in the field of medicine.
MMA president Datuk Dr N. Arumugam (picture) said hospitals could advertise their facilities but they were not allowed to make claims that their machines were the best or that they could cure this or that disease.
Similarly, he added, doctors could advertise their speciality, with photographs, but were not allowed to state their place of work.
Dr Arumugam warned that disciplinary action could be taken against doctors who advertised their place of work or made claims about their achievements and successes.
Talking to the New Straits Times, he said, the relaxation of the guidelines was in line with changes in the medical field and the Government’s aggressive promotion of medical tourism.
"When we go onto the Internet or read medical journals and other publications, we get a lot of information about what hospitals and specialists in other countries offer, with some even making open claims as to their achievements and successes. But, unfortunately not Malaysia."
He said many people thought other nations, including Singapore and Thailand, had better medical facilities than Malaysia.
"Now, we want the public and the world to know that we too have hospitals with similar or better facilities and services, including the latest medical equipment and machines and also specialists in various fields."
Dr Arumugam observed that those practising alternative medicine openly advertised and made claims that their products could cure illnesses.
Furthermore, Dr Arumugam said, some hospitals, including certain government hospitals, were already using various techniques to advertise their facilities and services, especially in the form of news items or product launches.