Health experts aid in city 'quackdown'

Health experts aid in city 'quackdown'

• Source: Global Times
• [09:06 March 17 2011]
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By Yang Jie

Beijing health authorities are gearing up to endorse an "expert pool" of health professionals aiming to meet public demand for accurate health information while helping citizens to keep their guard against proven quacks and self-professed medical experts.

The selected specialists will be officially endorsed to participate in media events, such as TV health-related programs and health promotion campaigns, Ma Yanming, deputy director of the Municipal Health Bureau's publicity center, told the Global Times Wednesday.

Beginning March 15, both working and retired professionals in second-class and higher medical institutions, including the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are encouraged to submit applications to the selection office under the health bureau and Beijing health promotion working committee. The application deadline is April 15.

The number included in the final list will depend on the number of applicants, whose fields should cover a wide range of expertise, said Liu Feng from the selection office.

"We will not just focus on food therapists, who are very popular now," said Liu.

Besides possessing good communication skills, applicants should be enthusiastic and experienced in working with public health campaigns, must hold a bachelor degree or above and a high-ranking professional title.

"Those selected are prohibited from touting their 'recommended expert' status for commercial endorsements or they will be disqualified," said Liu Feng.

It was the best and worst of times last year for health experts, when a group of self-proclaimed nutritionists, such as Zhang Wuben, quickly became household names after frequent appearances on various TV health programs.

However, most of them were soon identified as medical frauds who saw their practices shut down and books pulled from store shelves, raising concern among citizens and calls for industry oversight from medical experts.

Sun Zheng, a stomatologist from the Beijing Stomatological Hospital, approves of the campaign, explaining it would prevent the promotion of those underqualified as long as the experts are selected through "approved channels."

Yang Jinsheng from China Academy of Chinese Medical Science pointed out that apart from the establishment of an expert pool, related policies are also essential to help strictly supervise the quality of TV and radio health programs, according to the Beijing Times.