By Tania Tan & Shobana Kesava
NO CELEBRITIES, no praise and no numbers.
The Health Ministry on Friday warned eye specialists against producing misleading lasik advertisements, highlighting the three taboo areas for their ads.
The ministry said that it would take action against any doctor or clinic which continued to flout rules.
'We want to ensure the patient's safety, and misleading ads may sometimes jeopardise that,' said a ministry spokesman told The Straits Times.
'These are medical professionals not businessman, so advertising can be tricky - we want to get everyone on the same page.'
The session was held after the authorities got wind that some of these advertisements had given unrealistic expectations about the procedure; with results being oversold and risks and side-effects downplayed.
Some of the 25 ophthalmologists who attended the hour-long, closed-door meeting at the College of Medicine building in the National University of Singapore elaborated on what they were asked to avoid.
Their advertisements should not boast about the number of operations performed, for one. Nor can clinics use celebrities to promote their services; or highlight success stories.
Under the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Act, those caught doing so face fines of up to $2,000.
But doctors said they were happy that those who cross the line will be dealt with.
Said Dr Tony Ho, senior consultant and founding director of a private eye clinic: 'Advertising is good - it's helped make Singapore the medical hub it is today.'
'But it can also get out of hand. It's good that the ministry is stepping in.' The market for lasik surgery is red hot.
Public sector hospitals did more than 6,000 operations in the past year.
Two large private clinics here claim that they do about 2,100 procedures in just one month.
The 25 doctors, representing many of the senior experts who perform lasik operations to correct of myopia or near-sightedness here, also agreed to police the ads themselves.
The President of the Singapore Medical Group and managing director of a private lasik clinic Mr Felix Huang said: 'We'll try to make our ads as transparent as possible.'
No new guidelines were set yesterday, said the Health Ministry, but doctors present said it was clear the ministry would come down hard on those who continue to flout them.
A relatively simple surgery, lasik has seen its popularity surge worldwide, resulting in similar problems.
In the US, where the public began to view it as a simple cosmetic procedure, the experts began an education drive five years ago to make sure people knew exactly what they were getting into.
While doctors here say they have seen more botched surgeries surfacing, Singapore remains one of the world's best for the surgery, which involves cutting the surface of the eye and turning back the flap, before using a laser beam to reshape the cornea.
Fewer than 2 per cent of patients have complications such as double vision and headaches.
Nonetheless, prospective patients must be warned fully of them, said the ministry yesterday.
Several people who had gone through the surgery here told The Straits Times that this had not happened, and hard sell tactics have left them seeing red.
One said she was rushed into making a decision immediately after preliminary tests, and had to pay a $200 deposit which would be forfeited if she so much as changed her appointment date.
On the day itself, Ms Susan Wang said she was packed into a clinic with 40 others, and shown the door five minutes after her 20-minute surgery.
'I felt like I was in a factory,' said the 26-year-old, who is suffering from glare and halos a month later.
The ministry said it has received no complaints, but that patients should step forward with any such feedback.
Said a ministry spokesman: 'We will investigate each case seriously.'
Article from: http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/moh_concerned_over_37041.html
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