Wang Lian, spokesman of the administration, said this avoided regulation by TCM authorities but could still mislead the public.

From January to March, 739 false or illegal advertisements for TCM drugs and medical services were caught by the surveillance network.

"Some 99 percent of them are disguised as forms other than advertisements," he noted.

Ma Ying alerted the public of such practices and vowed to introduce more targeted intervention efforts.

In false and illegal advertisements, the hospital tended to boast of alleged award-winning specialists and special or unique remedies for certain diseases, he added.

According to surveillance results, such false advertisements mainly focused on common chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes, and severe conditions like cancer, which are difficult to cure.

Notably, the Internet has become a rising outlet for such false TCM promotion, Ma noted.

In response, supervision of TCM-related websites has been strengthened, he said.

Some 670 websites found to have illegal TCM advertisements have been shut down during the first quarter of the year, he noted.

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