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THE
Department of (DOH) Health welcomed the recent
pronouncement of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA)
that it opposes the practice of having medical
practitioners endorse personal health-care and food
supplements, but strongly suggested that the
organization totally ban them from appearing in
commercials.
DOH
Undersecretary Alexander Padilla said in an interview
that they completely agree with the idea of the PMA, but
they are looking for a wider scope of the ban. “For us,
they [PMA] should ban doctors from advertising, period,”
Padilla said.
Earlier,
PMA President Dr. Rey Melchor Santos said they have
revised their code of ethics proposing to impose a ban
on doctors endorsing food supplements that do not have
“approved therapeutic claims.”
“We
already prompted all physicians, especially those
doctors who have commercials or billboards on the
street, to pull out or take them off on or before
September 15. Those who fail to comply will be
arrested,” Santos said.
Santos
added that violation of the ban could cost a physician
his or her Professional Regulation Commission license.
For over
the past few years, advertisements on supplement
products for lung, kidney, liver, heart, blood and bone
care have been continuously appearing on television or
radio, featuring some doctors giving testimonies.
Santos
said allowing doctors to appear on commercials cheapens
the profession, adding that “as doctors, we should
maintain our integrity.”
Although
Padilla said no laws ban medical practitioners from
making these endorsements, they are still liable under
the ethics code they swore to uphold. (S. Fabunan) |
