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Benjamin Siu, 15

St Joseph's College

Yes, they should. Medical practitioners, especially specialists,  are not getting  enough publicity so many patients don't know where to seek help.  Usually, family doctors refer patients to a government hospital or a specialist they know. This does not reflect the specialist's ability  and patients may not get the best treatment available.

If doctors were allowed to advertise, the public could do more research and pick the right specialist.

Kwong Kwok-hay, assistant medical superintendent of the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital,  took the Medical Council  to court for banning advertising by doctors.

The Court of First Instance ruled that part of the council's code on professional conduct on doctors' advertising violated the freedom-of-speech provisions of the Basic Law.

There has been an appeal against the ruling, but I think that  doctors should be able to enjoy the rights that other professionals take for granted.  Restrictions could be imposed on the ads, allowing doctors to include only important details,  such as their expertise and experience.

Why is it that doctors cannot advertise but private hospitals can?  As long as the ads are not misleading,  doctors should be allowed to promote their services.

Jocelyn Heng, 14

Maryknoll Convent School

No, they should not.  Advertising  may be considered acceptable for most professions, but  medical practitioners are from a specialised field.  They should  not promote their services because

it could have a negative impact on society.

While the ads may offer patients more choice,  it would be hard to guarantee the validity of the claims.

Doctors should depend on word-of-mouth referrals   because they are judged on their skills, integrity and professionalism.

If given the green light,   doctors could spend a lot of time and effort on creating eye-catching ads.  This could lead to intense competition, triggering a price war between clinics. As consultation fees plunge, the quality of the medical services could go down.

Even fresh graduates may try to attract patients through ads. This could be a dangerous trend that might harm the medical industry.

Also, the government would need to set up a  system to  closely monitor the ads.  That money could be used to improve the city's medical services.

We must also consider the moral message the ads might send to society.

Medical care would be commercialised as people focus on the price rather than quality. There's no doubt that doctors have to earn a living, but patients are their top priority -   they are not clients!



Should doctors be allowed to advertise?