The rules on healthcare advertising in Singapore
Four separate rulebooks decide how a Singapore clinic or doctor can advertise — and they all apply at once. This is the map: what each one covers, who it binds, and where to read the detail. Plain English, one answer at a time.
What are the rules for healthcare advertising in Singapore?
Four rulebooks apply together. The MOH clinic rules cover the ad itself. The HSA product rules cover the medicine or device — you can't advertise a prescription medicine like Botox to the public, though you can advertise fillers, with limits. The SMC code binds the individual doctor, often more strictly. And the PDPA covers the patient data your advertising collects. Below: each one and the quick-answer table most people come here for.
The quick-answer table
The twelve questions we're asked most, with the shortest safe answer and where the rule sits. Every "no" here is explained in full on the page linked in its row.
| Question | Short Answer | Where It Lives |
|---|---|---|
| Can I post before-and-after photos? | No | HCSA Reg. 5(1)(d) |
| Can I post an after-only result photo? | No "or only after" is caught | HCSA Reg. 5(1)(d) |
| Can I split before/after across two posts? | No expressly anticipated | HCSA Reg. 5(1)(d)(ii) |
| Can I show before/after in a consultation? | Yes the one carve-out | HCSA Reg. 5(2) |
| Can I repost a Google review? | No reproduced, not direct | HCSA Reg. 14 |
| Can I offer a discount for a review? | No benefit disqualifies it | HCSA Reg. 14(5)(a) |
| Can I use "best" or "leading"? | No superlatives | HCSA Reg. 5(1)(e) |
| Can I run a discount, package or gift? | No | HCSA Reg. 5(1)(g), 15 |
| Can I advertise Botox to the public? | No prescription medicine | HPA Advt Reg. 7 |
| Can I advertise dermal fillers? | Yes with limits (device) | Health Products Act |
| Can I market to patient data by default? | No needs separate consent | PDPA |
| Is my agency liable too? | Yes if it shapes the ad | HCSA s 2, 31(3) |
The six guides
Start with the main guide if you want the whole picture in order; jump to a specific page if you've got one question.
MOH Advertising Guidelines
The definitive walk-through of the Healthcare Services (Advertising) Regulations 2021: seven core rules, social media rules, awards, promotions, agency liability, and statutory penalties.
Read main guide →Before-and-After Photos
Why the ban catches after-only images, why accuracy is no defence, why splitting posts fails, and the single consultation carve-out.
Read guide →The SMC Code for Doctors
The professional-conduct layer that binds the individual doctor in parallel with the clinic, and why it is frequently the stricter of the two.
Read guide →Patient Testimonials & Reviews
The six conditions under which reviews are banned, endorsed content rules, and operating under your own code of ethics.
Read guide →HSA & Product Advertising
The divide between prescription medicines and medical devices, advertising Botox vs dermal fillers, and direct-to-consumer rules.
Read guide →PDPA & Patient Marketing Data
Treatment consent vs marketing consent, remarketing pixels on medical sites, and handling health screening lists safely.
Read guide →Why this exists, and how it's sourced
Most of what gets passed around about Singapore healthcare advertising is second-hand, out of date, or quietly wrong — written before the law changed in 2023, or copied from a competitor who copied it from someone else. Every page here is written from the actual source: the regulation, the Act, the code, the guideline. Each one cites its sources, is dated, and says which version of the law it reflects.
It's maintained by Marcus Goh, founder of PULSE Digital — an agency that markets Singapore medical and aesthetic clinics for a living, which means we carry the same liability our clients do. Under the clinic rules, the agency that writes the ad is on the hook in its own right. We wrote this because we needed it to be right.
One Important Caveat
This is general information, not legal advice, and PULSE Digital is a marketing agency, not a law firm. It reflects the law as we read it on the dates shown, and the law changes. For a specific ad or a specific risk, check against Singapore Statutes Online and take your own advice.