Doctor profile pages under the advertising rules of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore

When a patient asks an assistant which cardiologist to see in Kuala Lumpur, the answer can only draw on what hospitals and clinics have published about their doctors. Profile pages are where that information lives, and in all three markets they fall under the same advertising rules as the rest of a hospital’s website.

What all three countries rule out

Praise. Indonesia bans superlatives and claims to be the only one (Pasal 5(e) of Minister of Health Regulation 1787/2010). Singapore bans laudatory statements and superlatives (reg 5(1)(e) of the Healthcare Services (Advertisement) Regulations 2021). Malaysia requires website information about doctors to be informative and simple, without laudatory remarks (MAB guideline 6.8), and the Malaysian Medical Council calls claims to be the best or the only one in a field unethical (MMC guideline 2.6).

Patient testimonials. Indonesia bans testimonials in ads and publications (Pasal 5(n)). Malaysia bans testimonials about treatment or a doctor’s skill (MAB guideline 4.5). Singapore allows only unpaid, unedited reviews that patients gave directly to the provider, shown on its own website, premises or social accounts (reg 14). Singapore’s Ministry of Health also cites the Singapore Medical Council’s rule that doctors must not use testimonials in advertising they control.

Comparisons with other doctors or hospitals (Pasal 5(d); MAB guideline 5.1; reg 5(1)(c)).

Malaysia: facts yes, promotion no

The MAB guideline allows a doctor’s name, qualifications and specialty to be listed for information, and says promoting an individual doctor’s skills, knowledge or experience is not allowed (4.2). Photos of doctors may be no larger than a third of the format (4.1 and 6.8). The MMC guideline says website content about facilities and doctors must go to the MAB for approval before it is published (4.17.3). In practice, list what the doctor is registered for, and leave out lines such as “20 years of experience” or “renowned”.

Singapore: qualifications aren’t honours

Regulation 13 limits how providers mention accreditations, awards and other honours, but it excludes professional qualifications from that definition (reg 13(5)). Listing a doctor’s registered qualifications is therefore fine. What a profile can’t do is describe the doctor in laudatory terms, imply results other providers can’t achieve, or present information in a way that amounts to soliciting patients (reg 5(1)).

Indonesia: check how titles may appear

Regulation 1787/2010 bars ads from using academic titles or health-profession designations (Pasal 5(o)), and bars health workers from advertising or appearing as models in ads for health facilities (Pasal 8(1)). Whether a hospital’s doctor directory counts as an ad or a publication under those articles is a question for an Indonesian adviser. Until it’s answered, keep directory pages to plain facts and leave out promotional copy.

What every profile should include

These are facts, not claims, and they are what a patient, or an answer drawn from the page, needs:

• the doctor’s name as it appears on the medical register
• the registered specialty, and qualifications where the country allows them (in Indonesia, subject to the titles question above)
• the clinic location, days and hours
• the languages the doctor consults in
• how to make an appointment, through the hospital’s own contact details
• the doctor’s registration number with the national medical register
• the date the page was last checked

Mark it up the same way

Profile pages can carry IndividualPhysician markup, linked to the hospital with practicesAt, with the specialty and the registration number as an identifier. Bagus Prasetio sets this out in Schema markup for hospitals and clinics.

The full rules for each country, with the article behind each point, are in GTMLab’s guide to healthcare advertising rules in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. It is general information, not legal advice.