香港維園牙科中心的檢控 72歲本地男子被捕

Arrest made at shop used to advertise mainland clinic’s services, with promotional slogans prominently displayed Police and Department of Health officers raided the consultation centre on King’s Road. Photo: Jelly Tse Hong Kong police have arrested a 72-year-old local man for allegedly practising dentistry illegally at a shop used by a mainland Chinese dental clinic to promote its business in the city, following calls from the local industry for tighter regulatory oversight of such activities. The arrest was made during a joint operation conducted by police and the Department of Health on Thursday at a shop on 37 King’s Road in North Point. The shop had been used to advertise a mainland clinic’s services, with promotional slogans prominently displayed, including “Hong Kong’s cheapest place for dental check-up” and “Free consultation available”. Ma Yee-ling, commander of the North Point police division, said the man was arrested on suspicion of practising dentistry illegally and remained in custody. Police seized a dental chair, instruments and a suspected intra-oral scanner at the scene Andrew But Yu-tin, a senior dental officer at the Department of Health, reiterated the government’s commitment to cracking down on illegal medical practices and urged the public to avoid unlicensed clinics. The joint operation was also extended to Yau Ma Tei on Thursday. The enforcement action came a day after the Hong Kong Dental Association said mainland clinics had set up consultation booths in busy districts, some of which appeared to be offering dental services. The association called for stronger cross-border regulatory cooperation to monitor advertising of non-local dental services in the city. Observers said Hong Kong should plug legal loopholes that might enable non-local dental clinics to promote their services in Hong Kong. Models of gums and teeth at a 2024 dental expo in Hong Kong. Observers say the government should plug legal loopholes that may enable non-local dental clinics to promote their services in the city. Photo: Edmond So Promotional activities by mainland dental clinics appeared to be active in Hong Kong, despite restrictions prohibiting locally registered dentists and doctors from advertising. Earlier on Thursday, a visit by the South China Morning Post to the raided shop found a dental chair on display and a receptionist dressed in white. Unhandled type: inline-plus-widget {"type":"inline-plus-widget"} The staff member also claimed that free transport was available for clients travelling to its clinic in Shenzhen for treatment. In a separate visit to a Yau Ma Tei shop used by another mainland dental clinic for promotion, a staff member handed out vouchers that offered free check-ups and teeth scaling at its outlet in Shenzhen. Mainland dental clinics have also been releasing promotional social media posts that appear to be targeting Hongkongers. Written in traditional Chinese and laced with Cantonese phrases, the posts can be found on major platforms including Facebook, Instagram and RedNote. The posts use promotional language such as “our dentists have great techniques” and “our services are safe with good outcomes”. Observers said loopholes in the city’s current laws had given rise to such advertisements. Alex Lam Chi-yau, a lawyer and chairman of advocacy group Hong Kong Patients’ Voices, said there was a disparity in the rules governing how local and non-local healthcare professionals could promote themselves. “When doctors and dentists registered in Hong Kong cannot place advertisements to promote their services, why are we allowing non-local organisations to place such advertisements that target Hong Kong residents?” Lam said. He said there should be a unified rule for both local and non-local healthcare professionals. While the authorities said that all advertisements issued in the city were regulated by the Undesirable Medical Advertisements Ordinance, Lam said social media posts could fall outside that scope if they were not issued by people or organisations based in the city. Former lawmaker Doreen Kong Yuk-foon, a lawyer, said that Singapore imposed restrictions on any advertisements targeting its residents, even when they were issued from outside the city. “As long as the target audience is Singaporeans, such advertisements are bound by local laws,” Kong said, adding that Hong Kong should follow suit with similar rules. Kong said there should be laws in place to protect Hongkongers from misleading advertising claims by non-local organisations. “If non-local companies could claim whatever they liked, this could disrupt our society and bring a big impact to our businesses,” she said.