The Ministerial Council for Services (MCS) on Monday discussed the health advertisements regulation proposed by the Ministry of Health. H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, chaired the meeting.
The proposed integrated system aims to regulate and monitor health ads, and impart accurate information to consumer on health products.
The regulation defines mechanisms and measures needed to regulate health ads and issue licenses. According to the legislation, any health related ad will have to meet certain requirements and seek prior approval of the Ministry of Health before being put in the public domain.
The health product should be allowed or licensed in the UAE, fall in line with operating laws and regulations and should not breach UAE traditions and Islamic values. Media, whether audio-visual, print, electronic or digital, should not publish or broadcast any ad without obtaining the consent of the Ministry of Health, which will coordinate with other federal and local stakeholders regarding what media organ is allowed to publish or broadcast ads without prior permission.
The system also regulates outdoor and in-door ads.
By keeping the ad market under the government focus, no misleading ads on medicines or cosmetics will find their way to the consumers.
Mariam bint Mohammed Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of Social Affairs, briefed the MCS on the benefits of the productive family programme sponsored by her Ministry, saying that it has attracted 925 local families marketing their products within the UAE and beyond.
The MCS gave its nod for the Ministry of Justice to draft a federal law on using remote-communication technology in penal procedures with the aim of streamlining and expediting settlement of penal cases and make it easy for the security agencies to transport suspects.
The meeting discussed other topics on its agenda and took appropriate action.
