Medical body to issue MLM guidelines
By Li Xueying
THE Singapore Medical Association (SMA) is introducing guidelines on multi-level marketing (MLM) in its advisory for doctor members.
Its stand is that recruiting patients as MLM members within clinic premises - whether during or outside consultations - is a definite no-no, association spokesman Tan Sze Wee told The Sunday Times.
The move comes after this paper reported last week that some doctors were asking their patients to buy MLM health products.
Two days ago, the Ministry of Health (MOH) also sent a circular to all 6,500 registered medical practitioners here, reminding them of the sacrosanct nature of the doctor-patient relationship, a ministry spokesman said yesterday.
The SMA's advisory, to be amended by year-end, will spell out guidelines on the promotion of such products.
Said Dr Tan: 'Doctors must disclose their financial interest to the patients, and ensure that the products are backed by scientific evidence.'
Currently, its advisory refers to only the sale of non-medicinal products in clinics. It does not touch specifically on the subject of health products sold via MLM, which is a form of direct selling that rewards members not only for their own sales but also those generated by members they recruit.
The association is a voluntary professional body comprising 68 per cent of all doctors in Singapore, and does not have legal teeth to enforce its regulations.
However, Dr Tan said doctors who do not toe the line will have to be prepared to 'justify' their actions to their peers in the Singapore Medical Council.
The association can and does refer cases to the council, an MOH statutory board that governs the professional conduct of Singapore's doctors.
The council told The Sunday Times last week that doctors may promote vitamins, tonics, health and nutritional supplements that are supported by 'good-quality scientific evidence'. But they must disclose their interest to the patient before making a referral.
Its spokesman added that 'doctors should not participate in the promotion of MLM per se, meaning the recruiting of people into the MLM structure'.
Last week, the MOH said in a letter to the Forum page that it had referred some doctors mentioned in The Sunday Times article to the council for investigation.
Speaking yesterday at a charity function, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan noted that MLM is not illegal in Singapore, and added that 'it's very hard to codify what is right and what is wrong'.
He said: 'The same action may be ethical in one circumstance, but unethical in another.
