Patient testimonials and reviews
Social proof is the second-best asset a clinic marketer has, and in Singapore it survives only in a form so narrow that most clinics using it are already in breach. Here are the six conditions and why your Google rating fails them.
Can Singapore clinics use patient testimonials?
Only narrowly. A testimonial from a patient, next of kin or carer is allowed only if it was unpaid, not edited, given straight to you, and not copied from somewhere else—and shown only on your own premises, website or social account (Reg. 14)[cite: 4].
A Google review fails: it was given to Google, and copying it across counts as reproducing it[cite: 4]. And the individual doctor is separately, and more strictly, bound by the SMC code[cite: 4].
The starting point is simple: no ad can carry a review, testimonial or endorsement about your service—including about a named doctor—except in the one narrow way Regulation 14 allows (Reg. 5(1)(f))[cite: 4]. Regulation 14 is that exception, and it's tight[cite: 4].
The six conditions
You (or your agency) can't display or share a testimonial unless every one of these is true (Reg. 14)[cite: 4]:
- The right person wrote it: A current or former patient, or their next of kin or carer[cite: 4]. Not an influencer, not a colleague, not a journalist[cite: 4].
- It's about their own experience: Their own view of the service[cite: 4].
- It was unpaid: Nothing given or even offered in return—no money, no discount, no gift bag, no lucky draw[cite: 4]. The offer alone is enough to kill it[cite: 4].
- It wasn't edited: No trimming it down to the most flattering line—that counts as changing it[cite: 4].
- It was given straight to you, and not copied: The patient gave it directly to you, and you're not reproducing it from somewhere else[cite: 4].
- It's only in the allowed places: Inside your own premises, or on your own website or social account[cite: 4]. Nowhere else[cite: 4].
Where this leaves Google reviews
This is the question we get asked most, so here's the reasoning, not just the answer[cite: 4]. A Google review breaks condition 5 twice: it was given to Google, not to you; and lifting it onto your site or feed is copying it—exactly what the rule doesn't allow[cite: 4].
- A widget pulling your Google rating onto a landing page[cite: 4].
- A screenshot of a five-star review on Instagram[cite: 4].
- A "4.9 from 300+ patients" badge in an ad[cite: 4].
- A testimonial carousel filled from review sites[cite: 4].
The review sitting on your Google profile where the patient posted it[cite: 4]. The rule is about you displaying or sharing a testimonial[cite: 4]. A patient posting their own review isn't you doing it[cite: 4]. Leave it where it is and it's not your act[cite: 4].
The flip side: offering any reward for a review breaks the rules wherever the review ends up[cite: 4].
A patient sends you an unprompted thank-you by WhatsApp or email[cite: 4]. That was given straight to you, unpaid, and you post it word-for-word on your own site[cite: 4]. Most conditions are met[cite: 4]. Whether posting it counts as "reproducing" it isn't crystal clear from the wording—the more natural reading is that "reproducing" means copying from someone else, but it's arguable[cite: 4].
If you rely on this, keep a record of where it came from, and read the SMC section below first[cite: 4].
Two more allowances, and one hard no
You can also put a compliant testimonial in a staff newsletter that goes only to your own employees (Reg. 14(3)), and charities have a similar allowance for material going only to donors and volunteers (Reg. 14(4))[cite: 4].
The hard no: Fertility services are carved out entirely—if you hold that licence, no testimonial exception is open to you at all[cite: 4].
The layer above: the doctor's own code
Everything above is about the clinic[cite: 4]. The individual doctor is separately bound by the SMC code, enforced through the Medical Registration Act[cite: 4]. It says testimonials can't be used in any media the doctor controls, and doctors can't ask or encourage anyone to write them[cite: 4].