This document discusses guidelines for medical professionals regarding advertising and publicity. It provides details on Dr. Shashwat Jani, including his qualifications and contact information. The document then discusses traditional concerns around commercialization of medicine through advertising, and how hospitals are increasingly engaging in publicity. It outlines specific guidelines physicians should follow, such as avoiding superlatives, promoting procedures or medications, using celebrities in testimonials, disparaging competitors, revealing sensitive patient information, discriminatory promotions, paid advertising, and promises of discounts or guaranteed results. The emphasis is on providing factual information to educate patients.

1. Dr. Shashwat Jani.
M. S. ( Obs – Gynec )
Diploma in Advance Laparoscopy.
Consultant Gynecologist,
Smt. N.H.L. Municipal Medical College.
Sheth V. S. General Hospital , Ahmedabad.
Mobile : +91 99099 44160.
E-mail : drshashwatjani@gmail.com

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• Traditionally, physicians & medical
societies have raised concern that
advertising commercializes the practice of
medicine & doesn’t respect the dignity of
the profession….!!!
• Doctors have been expected to
generate referrals from other physicians &
from satisfied patients by providing good
care to their patients.

3. In the increasingly competitive
world of healthcare delivery, more
and more hospitals are engaging in
publicity to expand awareness of
services that can build market share,
diversify the payor mix and generate
needed revenues.
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6.  Company: Here, the hospital is the company that
dreams up an idea of service offering
(treatment), which will satisfy the customer’s
(patient’s) expectations (of getting cured).
 Customer: The patient who seeks to get cured is
the customer for the hospital as he is the one
who avails the service and pays for it.
 Provider: Doctor, the inseparable part of the
hospital is the provider, as he is the one who
comes in direct contact with the patient. The
reputation of the hospital is directly in the hands
of the doctor.
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7. MEDICAL COUNCIL OF INDIA
(Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics)
Regulations, 2002
(AMENDED UPTO 1st FEBRUARY 2016)

8. • 6.1.1
• Soliciting of patients directly or indirectly, by a physician, by a
group of physicians or by institutions or organizations is
unethical.
• A physician shall not make use of him / her (or his / her name)
as subject of any form or manner of advertising or publicity
through any mode either alone or in conjunction with others
which is of such a character as to invite attention to him or to
his professional position, skill, qualification, achievements,
attainments, specialities, appointments, associations,
affiliations or honours and/or of such character as would
ordinarily result in his self aggrandizement.
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Advertisement Policy

9. A physician shall not give to any person,
whether for compensation or otherwise, any
approval, recommendation, endorsement,
certificate, report or statement with respect of any
drug, medicine, nostrum remedy, surgical, or
therapeutic article, apparatus or appliance or any
commercial product or article with respect of any
property, quality or use thereof or any test,
demonstration or trial thereof, for use in connection
with his name, signature, or photograph in any form
or manner of advertising through any mode nor
shall he boast of cases, operations, cures or
remedies or permit the publication of report thereof
through any mode.
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10. A medical practitioner is however permitted to
make a formal announcement in press regarding
the following:
(1) On starting practice.
(2) On change of type of practice.
(3) On changing address.
(4) On temporary absence from duty.
(5) On resumption of another practice.
(6) On succeeding to another practice.
(7) Public declaration of charges.
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11. • 6.1.2
• Printing of self photograph, or any such
material of publicity in the letter head or on
sign board of the consulting room or any such
clinical establishment shall be regarded as acts
of self advertisement and unethical conduct
on the part of the physician.
• However, printing of sketches, diagrams,
picture of human system shall not be treated
as unethical.
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14. Most medical board regulations
across various countries restrict
physicians from self-aggrandizement
and have defined rules against
advertising themselves.
Failure to follow these guidelines
lead to the possibility of suspension of
their medical licenses.
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15. • It can be argued that just like any other
business, providers need to look for ways to
grow their medical practice, be it a clinic or
hospital.
• Without impinging on the rules
against publicity and self promotion, here
are a few strict practices that you should
definitely steer clear off when it comes to
publicity...
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16. 1. Refrain from using
superlatives
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17. • Unless expressed by patients in their
testimonials or reviews of your practice or services, it
is best to avoid usage of superlative such as
“the best”, “top”, “world famous”, “most qualified”
etc…
• Misleading to patients
• Can have negative consequences if the services do
not meet the expectations of patients who read such
statements.
• Phrases such as “has been proven to be effective in
the treatment of” and other such references to
treatment outcomes should be referenced.
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18. It is more important to provide patients with
details about your …
 Practice ,
 Qualifications,
 Experiences,
 Facilities,
 Actual patient testimonials and experiences,
 Images of the practice, its location and contact
information.
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19. 2. Do not promote specific
services or medication
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20.  “They must get paid to say that”, is a
common refrain from many patients when they
find doctors openly endorsing certain procedures
or medications.
• It is best to avoid promoting medical
procedures, highlighting the benefits of it over
others or promoting certain medications to
patients online or in your clinic.
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21. Doctors are ethically expected to
discuss the pros and cons of medical
procedures, benefits and risks
associated with prescribed
medications and not provide only a
partial view of the facts.
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22. 3. Do not employ Celebrities
to provide patient
testimonials
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23. Using celebrities or fake imagery
to portray patient stories or for
patient testimonials is disingenuous
and seen as an unethical
promotion of a medical practice
and its services.
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24. 4. Refrain from showing
competitors in a bad light
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25. • Promoting your practice should not be done
at the expense of denigrating your
competitors.
• Legally, you aren’t permitted to name or
provide any indication of another practice
when comparing services.
• However, many providers state that their
clinic offers superior services over many other
clinics operating in the same city or locality,
indirectly defaming their competitor’s
reputation.
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26. Rather, it would be better to provide
on your website information about the
services that your practice offers patients
and allow them to make an informed
choice.
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27. 5. Do not reveal sensitive
patient information
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28. • Disclosing patient information which would
mean revealing their identity is definitely not
permissible.
• Care should be taken to obliterate any
mention of the patient’s name and personal
information, so as to maintain the utmost
confidentiality.
• Images of actual patients have been used
in some cases, particularly on social media /
waiting room , but this can be done only with
the consent of the patient.
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29. 6. Avoid being discriminatory
in your promotions
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30. • All content that could be taken to be
promotional should not be discriminatory on
the basis of colour, sex, religion , financial
status or nationality.
• Any material that is deemed to be
partisan, hurtful to patient sentiments or
derogatory will have a negative impact on the
reputation of your practice.
• This can be particularly severe and have
long term consequences when it comes to
your online reputation.
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31. 7. Paid advertising -
strict no
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32. • Paying an agent to advertise your practice
through newspapers, billboards or online
advertisements is strictly prohibited for medical
professionals.
• Especially when these adverts serve to
exaggerate the truth with selftitled superlatives
and images of medical professionals.
• Increasing your presence through paid
efforts may be a quick way to gain popularity and
visibility among potential patients.
• However, it is seen as unprofessional among
the general public.
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33. • Advertising a physician or their services is
considered to be against the code of medical ethics.
• However, health providers also have a
responsibility to provide the right health information to
their patients.
• Nowadays, the Internet serves as the main source
of this information.
• Therefore, providers and clinics need an online
presence, not as a means of marketing or advertising
themselves, but to create a channel of communication,
for patient education and awareness, to dispel myths,
abate health concerns and to continue to deliver care to
their patients remotely.
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34. 8. Don’t offer discounts
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35. • Phrases such as
“ Discounts",
“ O% installments",
“ 100 % Money back guarantee “
“ Preferential rates",
“ Free screening" etc…
… cannot be used to entice the public to
use the hospital’s services .
• A BIG ‘ NO ‘ to
souvenirs, promotional coupons, lucky draws
and sale campaigns .
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36. 9. Be clear about
expectations.
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37.  Avoid testimonials or examples that
imply, promise or guarantee results.
 A disclaimer such as “your results
may vary” may be appropriate.
 Avoid claims of competitive
superiority, cures or promises of outcomes.
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38. Publicity in the medical field should
meet the following standards:
(a) Factual.
(b) Accurate.
(c) Verifiable.
(d) Not misleading.
(e) Not unduly
persuasive.
(f) No extravagant
claims.
(g) Not sensational.
(h) Not enticing or
alluring.
(i) No financial
inducements.
(j) Not laudatory.
(k) Not comparative.
(l) Not disparaging.6/5/2017
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39. “ It is service quality that drives patient
satisfaction, which leads to word-of-mouth
referrals.
Patient-to-patient referrals are the best
form of advertising…!!!”
Prof. Simon Bell,
Professor of marketing,
University of Melbourne.
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“ Professor Bell says that spending
$100 000 on advertising will not work
anyway if the medical practice ignores
patients or is dismissive of their concerns
or if you can’t provide quality care and
treatment. “

41. Professor Bell says service quality
comprises five key elements :
1.Reliability, which for doctors means providing
efficient and effective diagnoses
2.Responsiveness, which means seeing patients on
time
3.Assurance, which involves a doctor’s expertise
and ability to generate trust
4.Empathy
5.Tangibles, which cover the physical aspects of a
practice such as cleanliness, facilities and the
practice environment.
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42. Too much promotion?
• There is also the risk of creating a negative
impression by advertising.
• “The medical profession is held in different
regard to most other professions, so when
they advertise people wonder why…!!! ”,
he says.
• Too much promotion can make patients
suspicious.
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43. Do NOT Expect Overnight Success
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44. Success takes time, so it doesn’t happen
overnight.
You need to be prepared to work hard
and wait for success.
Success has to build, and you need to be
ready to accept it when it comes.
Having patience is one key to a
successful, thriving business.
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