‘Orthodontics from 70 euros’; ‘Teeth whitening for 15 euros’; ‘Pregnancy guarantee or we will refund one hundred percent of the amount’; ‘Would you like to eliminate your diabetes in 30 days or less? You no longer have an excuse: get two implants and we'll give you a trip to Menorca’.
In the last plenary session held in the Parliament of the Canary Islands, we unanimously approved the first initiative of the current legislature presented jointly by all the political forces of the Chamber. This agreement, which arises from the complaints presented by users to the dental colleges of both provinces, speaks of those apparently irresistible advertisements but with fine print.
The proliferation of offers through advertising deception in the field of orthodontics increased, according to the professionals themselves, by around 70 percent in 2014 compared to the previous year. A dangerous drift is occurring in health advertising towards an excessively aggressive commercialism, even with a gender discrimination slant included. The claims and demands are in line with requesting the protection of the administrations in this regard, in compliance with their obligation to guarantee truthful and rigorous information based on scientific knowledge and professional ethics.
It should be remembered that both in our Statute of Autonomy and in the health laws of the Canary Islands and of guarantees and rational use of medicines and health products, the capacity of the Autonomous Community to control advertising in this area is contemplated.
What we have tried with this non-legal proposition is to protect the population's right to health more efficiently, because professional practice must always be directed towards their well-being. There is no room for buying and selling, big deals, bargains or businesses here: the patient's health criteria must always be put before other types of interests, promoting inspection and administrative control services.
The characteristics of health services force us to remain vigilant with the advertising through which they are made known. From the PSOE we insist on the importance of this being the first agreement of the legislature between all the political forces with representation in the Chamber: healthcare should not admit the slightest risk for the user, nor a single maneuver of confusion. Therefore, our obligation is to ensure that this service does not become a ‘everything for a hundred’.
Marcos Hernández, Spokesperson for Health of the Canarian Socialist Parliamentary Group