KOCHI: Medical journalists not merely report news, but bridge the gap between ordinary people and the scientific community, said Justice Devan Ramachandran, Judge of the High Court of Kerala, on Saturday.
“Medical journalism, perhaps, is something that has not been understood properly. Are we reporting facts, or are we here as scientists or people who can understand the scientific jargon? Medical journalists here are not merely reporting news. You are bridging the gap between the ordinary people and the scientific community. Sometimes, when doctors talk to you, we may not understand. A journalist’s real role is to make it understandable to ordinary people,” he said, after inaugurating the two-day National Health Journalism Summit ‘Medi Media’ in Kochi.
The event, which brought together around 30 journalists across India, is being organised by Aster Medcity, the Ernakulam Press Club, and the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Cochin chapter. MPs Hibi Eden, Benny Behnan, Dr Nalanda Jayadev, CEO of Aster Medcity, S K Abdulla, Managing Director of VPS Lakeshore Hospital, Dr Junaid Rehman, Medical Director, Sree Sudheendra Medical Mission Hospital, Kochi, K P Reji, state president, KUWJ, R Gopakumar, president, Ernakulam Press Club, and M Shajil Kumar, secretary, Press Club, spoke at the event.
Speakers also highlighted the importance of the doctor community and journalists working together to prevent the spread of misinformation and information overload in the times to come.
The conference also highlighted a fireside chat, an interactive session with Dr Jose Chacko Periyappuram, HOD and senior consultant in cardiac surgery at Lisie Hospital. As part of the event, scientific sessions of doctors, journalists, and lawyers on evidence-based public health awareness, ethical and legal issues in healthcare reporting, dos and don’ts in healthcare advertising were also held on Saturday. The two-day event will conclude on Sunday.