Why are paid reviews (including testimonials and endorsements) prohibited? Licensees are allowed to pay an authorised person to publish advertisements for the licensable healthcare service. Aren’t paid reviews similar in nature to other forms of advertisements?

Medical advertising must be held to high standards to maintain the public trust in the profession. Hence, its overarching aim is to help the public make informed healthcare choices and should not seek to unduly influence members of the public to consume it.

Paid reviews are similar in nature to other forms of advertisements in that they all provide information that promote the use of the service. However, the key difference is that reviews are generally viewed by consumers as genuine reflections of the writers’ or presenters’ personal opinion and experience, as distinct from other forms of advertisements where the content is generally understood to be determined by the provider whose service is being advertised. As such, paid reviews pose a greater risk of misleading consumers into thinking they are fully independent personal opinions, and inducing consumption of the reviewed healthcare service, compared to regular advertisements.

The prohibition of such paid reviews is in line with section G2(7) of the Singapore Medical Council’s Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines for medical practitioners (SMC ECEG), which states that “testimonials are subjective and must not be used in advertising on any media where [the medical practitioners] have any control over the content. [Medical practitioners] must not ask or induce [their] patients or anyone to write positive testimonials about [them] in any media.”