Clinic marketing · MAB · MMC
Clinic advertising in Malaysia: what you may say, and what needs approval
Most clinic adverts need approval from the Medicine Advertisements Board before they go out. A few things need none. Some are banned outright.
Every rule here was read from MOH's and MMC's own documents on 29 September 2026. Each line names its section.
Iklan klinik, section by section
What a clinic may advertise, and what it may not
✓ needs no approval. ! needs MAB approval before it is published. ✕ is banned, even in an approved advert.
| What you want to publish | Example | Status | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| A line that names no treatment or service | “Klinik mesra keluarga anda” | May, no approval | MAB 3.1 |
| Signboard, calling card, letterhead | Clinic name, doctor, MMC number | May, no approval | MAB 3.4.1, MMC rules on signboards |
| A health article with no push to book | Doctor's name, field and place only | May, no approval | MAB 3.4.3 |
| A recognised award or accreditation | Name and date of the award only | May, no approval | MAB 3.4.4 |
| A page or post that names a treatment and invites people in | “Acne treatment. Call 03-xxxx to book” | Needs approval | Act s.4A, MAB 1.3 |
| Your services and charges, in an advert | Name, address, hours, services, fees | Needs approval | MAB 4.1, 4.2 |
| A package, discount or price cut | “20% off health screening in May” | Needs approval | MAB 7.1.1 |
| Patient praise of the premises | “The clinic is clean and the staff are kind” | Needs approval | MAB 4.5(i) |
| An influencer or celebrity introducing the premises | A tour of the waiting room | Needs approval | MAB 4.6.2(i) |
| A patient testimonial about a treatment or a doctor's skill | “My skin cleared in two weeks” | May not | MAB 4.5(ii) |
| An influencer or celebrity endorsing a treatment | “I had this laser here” | May not | MAB 4.6.2(ii) |
| Comparing your clinic with another | “Better equipped than other clinics” | May not | MAB 5.1 |
| Comparing prices for the same treatment | Doctor's price against specialist's price | May not | MAB 7.1.2 |
| Free treatment, or a gift | “Free first treatment”, a door gift | May not | MAB 7.1.3, 7.2 |
| Claiming to be the best or the only one | “The best clinic in KL” | May not | MMC V2/2025 2.6 |
| Patient photos in a doctor's media posts | Full or in part | May not | MMC Code 2019 4.2.2 |
MAB 5.2, the old ban on superlatives, was deleted on 12 September 2019. The MMC still calls “the best” or “the only one” unethical for a doctor.
The law behind it
How to promote a clinic in Malaysia: the one test
Section 4A of the Medicines (Advertisement and Sale) Act 1956 sets the test. It covers any advert that names a treatment or service.
It applies when that advert also invites people to seek advice. A private clinic may publish it only with MAB approval.
The MAB guideline adds that every advert needs approval, unless it fits an exemption in its section 3.
Breaking section 4A can cost up to RM3,000 or a year in jail, or both, on a first conviction. A later conviction can cost up to RM5,000 or two years, or both (section 5).
Website, Facebook, TikTok
How to promote a clinic online
| Surface | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Anything online seen in Malaysia | Must follow the MAB guideline, even if placed abroad | MAB 9.1 |
| Clinic website | Informative and simple, without laudatory remarks | MAB 6.8, MMC V2/2025 4.17.1 |
| Clinic website | Contents go to the Board for prior approval | MMC V2/2025 4.17.3 |
| Social media | No advertising for personal gain, no patient solicitation, no self-promotion | MMC V2/2025 6.5 |
| Any approval | Names the media it covers and how long it is valid | MAB Regulations, reg 5(2) |
| Any application | RM300 each, not refundable | MAB Regulations, reg 8 |
MOH's public register lists approved service adverts by medium. On 29 September 2026 the media shown included “Internet”, “Laman Web” (website) and “Semua Media (Kecuali Radio)”.
The regulations say the approval number and expiry date must be shown on print, hoardings, illuminated signs and printed matter. That list does not name websites or social media.
Google Business Profile and reviews
Is a Google Business Profile an advertisement?
None of the seven documents we read names Google, online reviews or review sites. So they do not answer this question, and we will not answer it for them.
What they do say: the Act counts any notice or other document as an advert. MAB 6.4 allows directory entries with the clinic's name, address, specialty, contact details and hours.
They also bar patient testimonials about treatment in an advert (MAB 4.5). They say nothing about reviews patients post on Google themselves.
Before you add treatment claims, offers or a booking push to your profile, ask the MAB in writing.
Asking for reviews inside Google's own rules: the review link, the QR code and what Google bans.
Aesthetic, IVF and specialist clinics
Specialist and aesthetic clinic marketing
The same Act and MAB guideline cover a specialist clinic. A specialist's name, qualification and field may be listed for information. Promoting one doctor's skill or experience is not allowed (MAB 4.2).
Aesthetic practice has its own MMC guideline. An outside signboard may not carry “aesthetic medicine practitioner” or details of aesthetic practice. That information may be shown inside the premises (s.10, 2015).
Aesthetic services may appear in media announcements, with prior approval from the MAB or other MOH authorities.
The MMC calls claims of “firsts” or “breakthroughs” contentious. It says those claims are best left to professional and academic bodies (V2/2025 2.6).
Dental clinics answer to the Malaysian Dental Council too. The dental advertising rules, in plain words.
Where Dijumpai fits
How to get more patients in your clinic, inside the rules
The MMC Code bars a doctor from engaging any agent or canvasser to obtain patients (4.1 vii). So we never sell patients.
We make your clinic's true facts correct and easy to find where Google and the AI read. That means name, address, hours, services and doctors, the same everywhere.
Our fee is fixed each month, never per patient or per booking. We write no praise, no comparisons and no promised results.
Questions owners type
Clinic advertising: questions and answers
Does a Facebook ad for a clinic need approval?
Can a clinic give discounts or packages?
Can a clinic post patient testimonials?
Can a clinic post before and after photos?
Is the word “best” still banned?
Can Dijumpai rank my clinic first?
Sources, all read 29 September 2026
- Medicines (Advertisement and Sale) Act 1956, sections 4A and 5 (MOH)
- Medicine Advertisements Board Regulations 1976, to P.U.(A) 28/2020 (MOH)
- MAB Advertising Guidelines for Healthcare Facilities and Services, Amendment MAB 3/2023, in force 5 July 2023
- MAB register of approved adverts (MOH)
- MMC Code of Professional Conduct 2019
- MMC, The Dissemination of Information by Medical Professionals Including on Social Media, V2/2025
- MMC Guideline on the Ethical Aspects of Aesthetic Medical Practice, 2015
Not reachable on 29 September 2026: the Malaysian Dental Council's site. Our dental guide carries its own dated reading.