Doctors, dentists, clinics and other registered health providers in Zimbabwe can now advertise their services openly, but new rules ban guaranteed cures, patient testimonials, celebrity endorsements and discount offers.

The Health Professions (Advertising) Regulations, 2026, were published as Statutory Instrument 170 of 2026 on Friday, The Herald reported. The Daily News also reported the new rules on Monday, saying they were gazetted last week.

Where providers can advertise

Registered practitioners and health institutions may now advertise in newspapers, on radio and television, on websites, on social media and on billboards, according to The Herald. The paper said the rules are meant to make it easier for the public to find out which services are available, and to check a provider's qualifications, specialities, location and contact details.

The main test is set out in Section 4. The Herald quoted it as saying an advert must be "factual, accurate and capable of substantiation" and must not be "misleading, deceptive or likely to create unjustified expectations".

What is banned

Adverts may not exaggerate how well a treatment, procedure or product works, and providers may not promise a cure. Patient testimonials and endorsements are out, and so are gifts, competitions and discounts used to attract patients. Touting for patients is banned, as is paying or taking commissions for referrals, The Herald reported.

On social media, providers must keep patient information confidential. They may not give individual diagnoses, treatment advice or prescriptions in public posts, comments or direct messages. Celebrities, public figures and influencers may not appear in or endorse health adverts.

Radio and TV adverts are capped at 30 seconds, with no background music or dramatic sound effects. Each must end with a line saying it is not medical advice and telling people to see a registered practitioner for diagnosis and treatment.

Billboards need approval from the relevant professional council first, and the council has 30 days to decide on a complete application, giving written reasons if it says no. Providers stay responsible for their adverts even when an agency makes them, and councils can order an advert to be stopped, withdrawn or corrected.

Why it matters

Until now, advertising by medical and dental practitioners was tightly restricted and widely treated as unethical, The Herald said in an earlier report on the draft rules. The new rules open that door, but only for plain facts: who a provider is, what they do, where they are and how to reach them.

For patients, at home and in the diaspora, that should make it easier to find and check a clinic or specialist online. It also gives people a clear standard to measure health adverts against. A post that promises a cure, shows a glowing patient review, or offers a discount on treatment now breaks the rules if it comes from a registered provider.

The open question is enforcement. Social media is full of health promotions, and the councils will need staff and a simple complaints route if the new standard is to mean much in practice.

Sources: The Herald (Rumbidzayi Zinyuke), 25 Oct 2026: https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/new-doctors-and-health-institutions-can-now-advertise-their-services/ · Zimbabwe Situation (Herald republish), 25 Oct 2026: https://www.zimbabwesituation.com/news/new-doctors-and-health-institutions-can-now-advertise-their-services/ · Daily News (Brandon Josphat), 26 Oct 2026: https://dailynews.co.zw/health-practitioners-allowed-to-advertise-services/ · The Herald, earlier report on the draft regulations: https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/health-professions-council-draws-line-in-the-sand-on-advertising/

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