Spend 10 minutes daily on social media to impart medical knowledge: IMA Kerala urges doctors

In an effort to make people aware about medical fake news, Indian Medical Association (IMA) in Kerala has urged doctors to spend at least 10 minutes daily on social media to impart authentic medical information.

Speaking to ANI, Dr RC Sreekumar, Chairman, Digital, IMA, Kerala said IMA conducted a "health parliament" in the state capital in which doctors were asked to be active on social media to impart right medical knowledge.

"We have decided to involve more doctors in social media and requested all members of IMA to spend at least 10 minutes on social media in the morning to give right scientific explanations to diseases and advice correct treatment," he said.

Sreekumar said advertisements are being given promising cure to diseases from cancer to acute diabetes and there was fake news concerning pulse polio vaccination.

He said alarming fake messages were sent that children become mentally retarded or autistic if pulse polio vaccine is administered.

"This can be countered by scientific explanations sent by the doctors to patients. Kerala was supposed to be completely immunised state. We have eradicated poliomyelitis, measles, diphtheria and many other diseases but the immunisation is not reaching needy people and the result is some hospitals are flooded with measles and polio cases," he said.

Sreekumar said people are misled by social media messages on a cancer cure and there was need to counter it.

"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 a cancer cure," he said.