The National Medical Commission issued new ethical advertising guidelines on Tuesday, banning doctors and hospitals from using AI-generated patient testimonials or fake cure claims. These rules also stop paid patient solicitation and search engine manipulation. Doctors who break these rules face strict penalties, including warnings or even license suspension.
Synopsis
The National Medical Commission has implemented new ethical advertising guidelines affecting doctors and hospitals. These guidelines prohibit the use of artificial intelligence for generating promotional content or testimonials. Measures have also been taken to restrict paid patient solicitation and misleading claims in advertisements. Strict penalties have been established for non-compliance, including warnings and license suspensions.
Under new ethical advertising guidelines issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC) on Tuesday and effective immediately, doctors and hospitals are strictly prohibited from using artificial intelligence to generate patient testimonials, fabricate clinical outcomes, or create promotional material. The regulation also bans healthcare providers from paying to manipulate search engine and app rankings.
Crackdown on AI content and unverified claims
The NMC has barred registered medical practitioners and hospitals from employing AI-generated content to advertise services, solicit patients, or disseminate unverifiable details concerning diagnoses, treatments, or patient results. Under the regulation, AI cannot be used to craft synthetic patient voices, testimonials, clinical outcomes, or fake endorsements, nor can it be used to misrepresent the quality or nature of medical services.
Furthermore, medical professionals are barred from paying to manipulate search rankings or making unverified superlative claims such as "best", "number one", "most trusted", "guaranteed cures" or "100% success".
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Crackdown on paid patient solicitation and commercial schemes
To protect patient interests, doctors are prohibited from entering financial arrangements with influencers, advertising agencies, or online platforms where payment is tied to procuring patients.
However, the NMC clarified that doctors and hospitals remain permitted to use social media for non-promotional, objective, and factual health education.
Escalating penalties for non-compliance
To ensure compliance, the NMC has outlined a progressive penalty framework for violations:
First Violation: Formal warning and mandatory ethics training.
Second Violation: Censure and monetary penalty.
Third Violation: Suspension of license for three to six months.
Serious Violations: Suspension of license for six to 12 months.
Repeated Violations: Removal from the medical register for one to three years.
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