Media bridges gap between people, medical community: Justice Devan Ramachandran

Kochi, Sep 20 (PTI) Kerala High Court judge Justice Devan Ramachandran on Saturday said the media plays a vital role in bridging the gap between the general public and the medical community by making complex medical information easier to understand.

He was speaking at the inaugural session of the National Health Journalism Summit Medi Media, held at the IMA House here, according to a release issued by the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ).

The event was jointly organised by Aster Medcity, the Ernakulam Press Club, and the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Cochin chapter, the release said.

Justice Ramachandran noted that the importance of health journalism has grown further since the Covid-19 pandemic. “During the pandemic, Kerala witnessed exemplary media work. The difficult times showed us what responsible journalism truly means, and for that, the media deserves appreciation,” he was quoted as saying.

Referring to the overload of information on the internet, the judge also stressed the need for accountability in what the news media publishes, it added.

Dr Nalanda Jayadev, CEO of Aster Medcity, said the objective of the summit was to initiate and build dialogue on the growing interest in healthcare by bringing together experts from the media, medical, and legal fields.

Around 30 journalists from across the country are participating in the two-day event to discuss key healthcare issues and promote responsible health reporting, the release said.

On Sunday, delegates will take part in a memory walk titled Healthy Steps at Marine Drive, starting at 7 am from Abdul Kalam Marg, it said.

The valedictory function will be held at 2.30 pm on Sunday and inaugurated by Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, it added. PTI HMP SSK