How can a clinic get recommended by ChatGPT? (Malaysia)
EasyFound · · 11 min read
Publish plain, checkable facts: what your clinic treats, who the doctors are, where you are and when you open. In EasyFound's Malaysian tests, ChatGPT named a median of four clinics per answer and mostly repeated what a clinic treats and where it is, then who its doctors are, usually linking the clinic's own website. It rarely repeated opening hours. Malaysia's medical advertising guidelines list all of these as facts a clinic may disclose. Dental and physiotherapy answers looked similar, but we haven't read those councils' rules.
A clinic in Malaysia gets recommended by ChatGPT by making plain facts easy to find and check: what it treats, who its doctors are, where it is, when it opens and its phone number. Put them on your own website, keep your directory listings matching, and stay within the Medicine Advertisements Board (MAB) and Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) advertising rules.
Picture a patient typing, for example, "Can you recommend a good dentist in Petaling Jaya? I need a check-up and scaling." ChatGPT gives her about four clinics, with a line on each. The figures below come from EasyFound's tests of Malaysian clinic questions. EasyFound's team is founder-led and based in the Klang Valley, Malaysia.
Which facts does ChatGPT repeat about a clinic, and may a Malaysian clinic publish them?
In our aesthetic and skin clinic test, ChatGPT mostly repeated what a clinic treats and where it is, then who its doctors are. The MAB's guidelines list the same facts under "Information which may be disclosed in the advertisement(s)" (§4.0). We counted every time ChatGPT named an aesthetic or skin clinic and linked that clinic's own website (CSV).
| Fact about the clinic | Namings with it (of 136) | What the MAB guidelines say |
|---|---|---|
| What it treats or offers | 127 | "Professional Services available at the healthcare facility" (§4.2) |
| Where it is | 96 | "Name and location" (§4.1) |
| Who the doctors are | 63 | "The name, qualification and field of specialty of practitioners are allowed to be listed for information purposes." (§4.2) |
| Opening hours | 1 | "Hours of service" (§4.1) |
Other trades are compared in what ChatGPT repeats from your website.
Does ChatGPT recommend dental, physiotherapy and other clinics in Malaysia like aesthetic clinics?
ChatGPT recommended other kinds of clinic in Malaysia in much the same way, but the pages it linked changed with the kind of clinic. We re-read 23 saved answers to other clinic questions, from a child's toothache to a sore back. The sample is small, so read each row as an example. The rows also differ in model, date and set-up (see Sources), so a difference between rows may not be down to the kind of clinic; all three Google Maps links came from gpt-5.4-mini answers.
| Kind of clinic question | Saved answers | Pages ChatGPT linked |
|---|---|---|
| Aesthetic and skin treatments | 60 | Clinics' or hospitals' own websites in 53, government and public-health sites in 29 |
| Dental check-up or a child's toothache | 9 | Own websites in 5, directories in 4, Google Maps in 3 |
| Physiotherapy | 3 | Own websites and directories in all 3 |
| IV drips and men's health | 4 | Clinics' own websites in all 4 |
| Doctor-led weight loss | 2 | A clinic's own website and a government health page in both |
| Hair transplant, Ultherapy, clear aligners | 3 | A professional body's or device maker's provider list in all 3 |
| An aesthetic clinic near one part of KL | 2 | A clinic directory and clinics' own websites in both |
Of the 22 answers that named a clinic, 21 said where a clinic was. What it offers came up in 18. Opening hours or days came up in only five. Thirteen mentioned ratings, review counts or patient comments, which our no-reviews test explains.
The aesthetic row is covered in our aesthetic clinic guide, with a report per area: devices in KL, a clinic's approach in JB and hospitals in Klang.
How many clinics does ChatGPT recommend in Malaysia, and does the same clinic come first?
ChatGPT named about four clinics per answer in both sets, counting only the answers that named a clinic. The median was four in the aesthetic and skin answers and in the other clinic answers, in line with our count across trades. The clinic at the top often changed: in the aesthetic and skin test, it was the same in both runs for 10 of 28 questions. So one check on your phone tells you little, because its answers change each time.
What does ChatGPT hedge on when it recommends a clinic in Malaysia?
ChatGPT hedged on medical claims and marketing words when it recommended clinics in Malaysia, in the answers we re-read. In 11 of the 23 answers it added a medical caution, such as when to seek urgent care.
- Short "best … clinic" questions. In 7 of 8 answers it told the patient to choose on the doctor or on medical supervision. One said: "I'd shortlist clinics based on the surgeon rather than the clinic's marketing or Google rating."
- A clinic's own claims. When a clinic's website said its product was approved, ChatGPT added: "I would ask the clinic for the specific product/registration details before relying on that claim."
- No name at all. Asked for a dentist from Miri, it said it "wasn't able to reliably identify" one, as our Sabah and Sarawak test reports.
What can't a clinic in Malaysia publish to get recommended by ChatGPT?
A clinic in Malaysia can't use treatment testimonials or before-and-after pictures in its advertisements, and its doctors can't claim to be top in their field, whatever ChatGPT repeats about others. The primary documents say:
- "Patient testimonials related to treatment / healthcare services are NOT ALLOWED" (MAB guidelines §4.5).
- "Advertisement should not contain ‘before’ and ‘after’ picture." (MAB policy decision 2/2019).
- "It is unethical for practitioners to claim to be the best or the only one in a particular field of practice or specialty." (MMC guideline §2.6).
An advertisement also "must not be exaggerated, false, misleading or deceptive" (MAB guidelines §2.2), and "Free offers of healthcare services/ treatments are NOT PERMITTED in advertisements" (§7.1.3). Unless exempted, advertisements "shall only be publicised upon approval by the Medicine Advertisements Board" (§1.3). The full list is in our aesthetic clinic guide.
This is general information, not legal advice; confirm with the Medicine Advertisements Board (MAB) or the Malaysian Medical Council.
What can't our tests tell a Malaysian clinic about ChatGPT?
- GP clinics and other AI tools. We have no saved answers to a plain GP question, and every answer came from ChatGPT through OpenAI's API, not the app.
- Dental and physiotherapy rules. The documents we read are written for private hospitals, clinics and medical practitioners. We haven't read the dental or allied-health councils' rules. The MAB's policy decisions also say "The law does not allow service providers other than private hospital, clinic, radiological laboratories and medical laboratories to advertise their services", so a physiotherapy centre should ask the MAB where it stands.
- Why a clinic was named. We saw what ChatGPT said and linked, not its reasons.
How do I get my clinic recommended by ChatGPT in Malaysia?
The facts ChatGPT repeated most in our tests are on the MAB guidelines' list, so the work is making them plain and consistent.
- Request EasyFound's free check. See what ChatGPT says when a patient asks, for example, "I hurt my lower back. Where can I find a good physiotherapy clinic in Subang Jaya?" Then go through it with us on a free call.
- List your services in plain words, one per line: for example "scaling and polishing". Describe the service, not the result: website information must be "informative and simple, without laudatory remarks" (§6.8).
- List each doctor's name, registered qualifications and field, with no praise. The guidelines don't allow "Promotion of any individual practitioner's skills, knowledge and experience" (§4.2).
- Put your clinic's name, address, phone number and opening hours in text. These are on the guidelines' list (§4.1). Ask the MAB before adding anything outside this list, such as languages spoken or online booking.
- Match your directory listings and Google Business Profile to your website. The guidelines allow directory entries with "the name of the healthcare facility, address, specialty, contact details, hours of consultation" (§6.4). Treating a Google Business Profile as a directory is our reading; confirm with the MAB.
- Ask the MAB which pages need approval before they go live. An advertisement in Chinese or Tamil "shall be accompanied by a translation, either in Bahasa Malaysia or English" (MAB policy decision 2/2016).
EasyFound is an AI search visibility (GEO) tool built for Malaysian businesses. For a clinic, it shows whether six AI engines (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode) name you when patients ask, in English, Malay, Mandarin and Manglish. In our AI SEO service, our team runs it for you and works on your pages within the MAB and MMC rules. Start with the free check below.
Would ChatGPT name your clinic to a patient?
See what ChatGPT says about your clinic when patients ask for one near them, then go through it with us on a free call.
Frequently asked questions
How can a clinic show up in ChatGPT answers in Malaysia?
State the facts ChatGPT repeats, as plain text on the clinic's own website: what it treats, where it is, who the doctors are and when it opens. In EasyFound's test of Malaysian aesthetic and skin clinic questions, ChatGPT linked a clinic's or hospital's own website in 53 of 60 answers. Keep the wording within the Medicine Advertisements Board and Malaysian Medical Council rules. This is general information, not legal advice.
Why doesn't ChatGPT recommend my aesthetic clinic?
Often because ChatGPT names only about four clinics per answer, and the list changes when the question is asked again. In EasyFound's test of Malaysian aesthetic and skin clinic questions, the clinic named first changed in 18 of 28 repeated questions. The clinics ChatGPT named usually had their own website among the pages its search returned. So ask the question several times, then check that your website states your treatments and doctors in plain text.
Apakah cara klinik muncul dalam jawapan ChatGPT?
Tulis fakta klinik anda dengan jelas di website sendiri: rawatan yang ditawarkan, nama dan kelayakan berdaftar doktor, alamat, nombor telefon dan waktu operasi. Dalam ujian EasyFound di Malaysia, ChatGPT menyebut kira-kira empat klinik bagi setiap jawapan dan paling kerap mengulangi rawatan dan lokasi klinik, diikuti nama doktor; waktu operasi dan nombor telefon jarang diulang. Iklan klinik tertakluk kepada garis panduan Lembaga Iklan Ubat (LIU) dan Majlis Perubatan Malaysia (MPM), jadi jangan gunakan testimoni rawatan atau gambar sebelum dan selepas. Ini maklumat umum, bukan nasihat undang-undang.
Does ChatGPT find dentists and physiotherapy clinics on Google Maps or on their own websites?
Both, plus directories, in EasyFound's small Malaysian sample. Of nine saved ChatGPT answers about dental check-ups and a child's toothache, five linked a clinic's own website, four linked a directory and three linked Google Maps. All three physiotherapy answers linked both a clinic's own website and a directory. The sample is small, so treat it as examples, not rates.
ChatGPT quotes patient reviews for other clinics. Should my clinic put testimonials on its website?
Not treatment testimonials. The Medicine Advertisements Board's guidelines say 'Patient testimonials related to treatment / healthcare services are NOT ALLOWED' in advertisements. In EasyFound's sample, 13 of the 22 answers that named a clinic mentioned ratings, review counts or patient comments. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm your own case with the Medicine Advertisements Board (MAB) or the Malaysian Medical Council.
Sources
Our data: EasyFound, three sets of saved ChatGPT answers, all through OpenAI's Responses API with web search, not the ChatGPT app. We made no new AI calls for the counts.
- Aesthetic and skin clinic test. 60 answers to 30 patient questions about clinics in Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru and the Klang Valley, each asked twice on 29 September 2026 (model chat-latest, web search required, no location setting; the system prompt asked for the answer ChatGPT would give a consumer in Malaysia). The questions were short keyword phrases, and each named a city, an area or Malaysia. "Linked" means a link in the answer text, counted once per answer: clinics' or hospitals' own websites in 53 of 60 and government and public-health sites in 29 of 60, as in our aesthetic clinic guide. Of the 60 answers, 56 named a clinic, with a median of four. First-name stability is from our count across trades: 28 questions named a clinic in both runs, and the first was the same in 10. Downloads: per answer · per source.
- What ChatGPT repeated. The 136 namings are the times those 60 answers named a clinic with a link to its own website, from our recount of what ChatGPT repeats, using its definitions. A link can sit beside facts that came from another page.
- Other clinic questions (new recount). 23 saved answers to 12 questions: a dentist in Petaling Jaya (a short phrase asked three times on 26 September, and a full sentence asked twice on 8 October), a dentist for a nervous child asked once each from Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Miri and Sandakan (9 October), physiotherapy in Subang Jaya, a doctor-led weight-loss clinic and an aesthetic clinic near one part of KL (twice each, 8 October), and six short "best … clinic" questions from 2 October, eight answers in all (IV drips and men's health twice each; clear aligners, Ultherapy, hair transplant and sports physiotherapy once each). Models: gpt-5.4-mini on 26 September and 9 October, chat-latest otherwise. Approximate location was Malaysia, or the named Borneo city. Search was required on 12 answers and used on all 23. We read and hand-coded each answer; 22 named a clinic. Branches of one clinic count once. A public hospital's own page counts as its own website, and so does one clinic's free Google Sites page; "directories" include clinic booking and listing sites; "medical caution" means a warning about risk, urgency or suitability. Seven of the questions were asked more than once, and the first clinic was the same in three. Download the recount (CSV). We don't name clinics or doctors, because a few test runs aren't a ranking.
Rules (texts saved 30 September and 1 October 2026; links re-opened 13 October 2026):
- Medicine Advertisements Board, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Advertising Guidelines for Healthcare Facilities and Services (Private Hospitals, Clinics, Radiological Clinics and Medical Laboratories), Amendment MAB 1/2026 (link)
- Medicine Advertisements Board, Policy and Decision (Services), including MAB 2/2019 and MAB 2/2016 (link)
- Malaysian Medical Council, The Dissemination of Information by Medical Professionals Including on Social Media, V2/2025 (link)
The data is shared under CC BY 4.0: you're free to reuse it, with credit to EasyFound. This article summarises the rules for general information and is not legal advice; confirm with the Medicine Advertisements Board (MAB) or the Malaysian Medical Council.
ChatGPT changes often; treat these figures as a dated measurement.
Research by Janice Pang, EasyFound.