Compliance
Medical advertising in Saudi Arabia and Egypt: principles to check before any campaign
Medical advertising follows stricter rules than most. A short review before publishing protects the facility and keeps patients' trust.
Advertising a medical service is different from advertising any other product. The patient is making a decision about their health, and regulators in Saudi Arabia and Egypt set rules to protect them. This article sets out general principles we apply when reviewing content. It does not replace the current official regulations.
Whose rules to check
In Saudi Arabia: the Ministry of Health, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority for products and devices, and the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties for practitioners. In Egypt: the Ministry of Health and Population, and the Egyptian Medical Syndicate and its rules on professional conduct and advertising. Rules are updated, so check the official source before large campaigns.
Principles that apply in both countries
- No promises of guaranteed or complete results. Describe treatment steps and what the patient can expect, accurately.
- No comparisons that disparage other facilities or doctors.
- No patient images or stories without clear written consent, with identifying details hidden where needed.
- Before-and-after images need particular care, and some platforms restrict them on their own.
- Titles and specialties are written exactly as on the professional licence.
- Offers and discounts state their full conditions and duration.
Platforms have their own rules
Meta, Google, Snapchat and TikTok each have health advertising policies, and may reject an ad that meets local rules because it breaks a platform policy. Repeated rejections can restrict the whole ad account, so review each platform's policy before design starts.
A review before publishing
We use a short checklist for every post and ad:
- Does every claim have support that can be shown on request?
- Is there written consent for every patient image or story?
- Do names and titles match the licence?
- Are the offer conditions written out?
- Does the content meet the policy of the platform it will run on?
In practice
Make the compliance review a fixed step before every publication. Accurate content protects the facility and builds lasting trust.