Advertisements for breast enlargement, weight loss and abortion still appear on television and in newspapers despite a Chinese government ban.

In August, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and the State Administration of Industry and Commerce (SAIC) banned television and radio advertisements for medicines, medical equipment, weight loss, breast enlargement and other beauty products and treatments.

Chinese newspapers and magazines were prohibited from accepting misleading advertising from Nov. 1 by the State Press and Publication Administration and the SAIC.

However, such advertisements can still be seen on TV. On Nov. 23, for instance, medical ads for nose and eye treatments and skin care screened from morning to night. Last month's newspapers were littered with ads for skin disease treatment and abortion.

Moreover, some healthcare and cosmetic ads use hyperbole and pictures to publicize their supposed medical advantages, misleading and cheating readers and viewers.

Some underwear ads insinuate that the underwear can help enlarge breasts or contribute to weight loss, without actually saying so.

China's medical advertising market has grown rapidly in recent years. The country's advertising business was worth 7.6 billion yuan (950 million U.S. dollars) in 2005, ranking sixth in the world.

Regulations stipulate that a broadcaster who continues to air controversial advertisements after it has received three orders to rectify and improve the situation over a 60-day period, can be banned from operating. But for many TV stations which have aired such ads dozens of times it is simply "business as usual".

Calls for tightening control and enforcing regulations have grown. Li Fangwu, head of the China Advertising Association, said the ads should be classified by function and not just by type of product.

If an underwear ad boasts that it can enlarge breasts, it should be considered a medical ad rather than a clothing ad and banned, he said.

Experts also called for enhanced inspection and supervision of the advertising market. "The management of TV advertising is not simply a matter of issuing prohibitions," said a teacher from Tsinghua University named Zhao Shuguang.

The Chinese Ministry of Health has stepped up its inspections of medical institutions suspected of distributing fake medical advertisements.

Local health authorities will not be allowed to approve medical advertisements during the month of December, said ministry spokesman Mao Qun'an at a press conference on Monday.

Source: Xinhua