To better protect the public, the Government proposes to include in the Undesirable Medical Advertisements Ordinance a new schedule of claims which it would ban, the Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food says.

The Director of Health will be empowered to amend the schedule and extend its coverage to other products and services - as and when necessary - to safeguard public health.

Responding to a query from Bernard Chan in the Legislative Council, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong said an expert committee comprising medical professionals, academics, as well as Consumer Council representatives has been set up to devise a proposed list.

The Government will consult the public and the trade on the list later this year.

On the enforcement front, 197 out of the 3,840 advertisements the Department of Health screened in the last three months were found to have breached the law. One-hundred-and-two of the offending ads were SARS-related.

Most of them were about proprietary Chinese medicines or health-food products with claims on SARS treatment or prevention. 

The department issued warning letters against these advertisements and most of the concerned parties have taken steps to rectify the misleading claims in their advertisements. Three cases have been referred to the Police for prosecution.

While the Government has stepped up screening and enforcement, Dr Yeoh revealed that the existing arrangements will be reviewed.