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Clinics warned to get their act together over telehealth, advertising abuses

This includes ensuring teleconsultations are appropriate for patient’s condition, not promoting prescription-only medicines

Tessa Oh
Renald Yeo
Published Fri, Nov 22, 2024 · 05:34 PM
    • Friday’s circular was issued by the Ministry of Health, the Health Sciences Authority and the Singapore Medical Council.
    • Friday’s circular was issued by the Ministry of Health, the Health Sciences Authority and the Singapore Medical Council. PHOTO: BT FILE

    SINGAPORE’S health authorities jointly reminded medical providers of the need to comply with guidelines on telemedicine services and advertisements, in an industry circular on Friday (Nov 22).

    These include ensuring that teleconsultations are appropriate for the patient’s condition and avoiding the prescription of controlled drugs through telemedicine.

    The reminder came after the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said on Nov 13 that they were reviewing weight-loss drug advertisements flagged by The Business Times. The ads are potentially in breach of a ban on advertising prescription-only medicines.

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