The Indian Medical Association, Kerala chapter has urged doctors to spend at least 10 minutes on social media every day, to pass on authentic medical information to common people. The move aims at increasing awareness about fake medical news among people.
Dr RC Sreekumar, Chairman, Digital, IMA, Kerala said that IMA conducted a “health parliament” in Thiruvananthapuram, in which doctors were asked to be active on social media to share the right medical knowledge to people.
He also added that they have decided to involve more doctors in social media and requested all members of IMA to spend at least ten minutes on social media in the morning to give right scientific explanations to diseases and advice correct treatment.
According to Dr Sreekumar, several advertisements are surfacing online that promise a cure to diseases like cancer and diabetes. He added that fake news concerning pulse polio vaccination was also being shared on social media platforms. One such message was about children becoming mentally ill or autistic after administering the pulse polio vaccine. RC Sreekumar said that such fake news could be countered by scientific explanations provided by the doctors to patients.
He also added that Kerala was supposed to be a completely immunized state, as diseases like poliomyelitis, measles, diphtheria and many others have been eradicated. However, the immunization is not reaching the poor people which is why some hospitals are flooded with measles and polio cases.
“In cancer care, if it is detected in the first or second stage of the disease, treatment is easier and there are fewer complications.
But what we see today is the cancer patients reach doctors in their fourth stage after going through unscientific modes of treatment. People are misled by social media messages on cancer cure,” he said.

Source: Republic Tv

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