Review Of Law On Medical Advertising

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31784, 14 September 1968, Page 42

Review Of Law On Medical Advertising

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, September 13. The Acting Minister of Health (Mr Kinsella) told Parliament today that the list of ailments for which claims to cure or alleviate were prohibited or restricted had been reviewed, and that he had instructed that consideration be given to strengthen the legislation.

Mr Kinsella was asked by Mr N. J. King (Lab., Waiternata) what steps he intended to take to strengthen the Medical Advertisements Act to eliminate the practices complained of in the Consumers’ Institute report where consultants had made incorrect claims about treatment of baldness and scalp infection.

The Minister said he had seen the article by the Consumers’ Institute and its content was known- to the Department of Health which was represented on the Consumer Council. The medical advertisements legislation already prohibited false or deceptive claims, but considerable difficulty attended attempts to achieve the standard of proof re-

quired in legal proceedings. Mr W. W. Freer (Lab., Mount Albert) received only a smile from Mr Kinsella when he asked if the Minister was prepared to act to stop bald people being fleeced. Earlier Mr King asked the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr Marshall) if his department intended to investigate charges made by the Consumers’ Institute that the basic cost of ingredients for an alleged treatment for baldness was 63c, yet the cost of the course was $72. Mr Marshal) said the institute performed a valuable job in revealing that sort of practice, and he accepted its advice that people going bald should consult a medi-cally-qualified skin specialist.