A dental clinic operating in Dubai has been fined for posting ads violating ethics and conduct of the medical profession, on Instagram, the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) has announced.
The ministry revealed that its inspection teams, who are monitoring online ads during weekdays and public holidays, detected a video posted on a dental clinic Instagram account, inviting the public to come along and get a chance to win mobile phones and TVs, in bid to attract as much people as possible.
Reacting swiftly, the ministry has informed the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), which is in charge of licensing healthcare facilities in Dubai, to take necessary actions and fined the clinic for violating the applicable health advertising systems.
The ministry noted the clinic’s ad was not duly licensed and is breaching the Federal Decree Law on medical liability. It is violating ethics and conduct of the medical profession and misleadingly promoting for the role and responsibility of healthcare practitioners in relieving patients’ pain and providing professional health care.
To get as much followers as possible especially young people, the clinic’s owner has promoted for his facility through social media influencers. Accordingly, the ministry informed the Department of Economic Development-Dubai, which is responsible for licensing social media influencers, to take necessary actions.
Monitoring Healthcare Ads
Dr. Hessa Mubarak, Director of the Department of Health Empowerment and Compliance reaffirmed that MOHAP inspection teams spare no effort to detect any violating ads even during public holidays, in line with MOHAP strategy, which aims to provide the best healthcare and regulatory services.
She added that the clinic owner announced attractive offers and gifts on the occasion of opening a new branch to draw in as many people as possible through social media. This has led to huge turnout, which resulted in the service providers losing control on managing the entire event.
Promotion through social media influencers
Dr. Mubarak said that the ministry is always on standby to monitor any breach and misuse of social media through hiring social media influencers to illegally promote for certain products or medical services.
Seeking financial gains and attracting as many people as possible, some people may hire social media influencers to post video clips of themselves praising and highlighting the attractive features of a product or service without any censorship of controls.
Individual case
She further said that what has happened is no more an individual case for which necessary actions have been taken and competent authorities were informed to ensure the non-recurrence of such violations.
The ministry in this respects calls on the public to be extremely cautious when seeing ads featuring unusually attractive offers and prizes, which some may use to achieve fame and quick profit at the expense of efficiency and quality of health services.