SANATRONIC CLINICS

Mr Ivan Baptist asked the Minister for Health whether the treatment using electrostatic charges available in Singapore to sufferers of ailments like rheumatism, migraine, insomnia, mental fatigue, asthma, indigestion and skin trouble is efficacious and safe.

The Minister for Health (Dr Toh Chin Chye): Mr Speaker, Sir, ion generators are used to purify or sterilize the atmosphere. Microscopic particles such as bacteria, fungal spores, dust and smoke particles can acquire an electrostatic charge and remain suspended in the air. Particles which are positively charged are neutralized by negative ions and negatively charged particles by positive ions. When fine particles are neutralized they aggregate or collect together to form larger particles that are too heavy to remain suspended in the atmosphere and are deposited or settle down on the ground by gravity.

The claim that positive or negative ions are effective in treating rheumatism, migraine, insomnia, mental fatigue, asthma, indigestion, skin diseases, constipation as well as diarrhoea and impotence is not substantiated in scientific or medical literature. If it were true that a wonderful instrument exists that can cure or treat such a variety of physical ailments, then hospitals all over the world would have installed such ion generators today.

The danger of untruthful advertising is that gullible patients who should really be receiving treatment from their medical doctors are led astray and, by avoiding medical treatment, they are exposing themselves to unnecessary risks and complications arising from their ill health.

However, I ought to add that the Ministry of Health is not involved in the licensing of clinics operating ion generators. I understand that there are six such establishments in Singapore. What is surprising is that they were allowed to open for business without the knowledge of Building Control Division and the PUB. Since we are concerned about the sale of unsafe electrical domestic appliances, I ought to inform the House that preliminary inquiries reveal that persons who patronize these so-called sanatronic clinics sit in an electrical field of several thousand volts in order to attract the negative ions that are generated to their bodies. They accumulate an electrostatic charge so that when they touch a person or object outside the treatment area which is earthed they experience a slight electric shock accompanied by a spark discharge. In layman's language the patient is acting like a lightning conductor except that the current passing through him is too small to electrocute him.

On the other hand a real danger exists if by any mischance the insulation system between patient and earth breaks down. Under these circumstances the patient will be sitting in an electric chair.

It is in the public interest that the operators of these sanatronic clinics should submit the technical specifications of their installation to the PUB for scrutiny.

As far as the Ministry of Health is concerned, the whole business is nothing more than a fraud being perpetrated on a section of the public that is always gullible to fantastic claims.

Mr Ivan Baptist (Potong Pasir): Mr Speaker, Sir, what steps is the Minister for Health going to take, liaising with the relevant Government departments, to ensure that this fraudulent practice is stopped immediately for the safety of our community?

Dr Toh Chin Chye: Mr Speaker, Sir, I have mentioned that the licensing of these sanatronic clinics should have gone through the Building Control Division, and I am told that the Building Control Division will look into the matter. The Public Utilities Board likewise has asked for specifications of the installations in these clinics and I am sure that the problem will be solved quite early in the next week or so.