False info on social media misleading people: Doctor

By LULU MARK
THE spreading of false information about the Covid-19 vaccine on social media is misleading the population and health professionals doing that should stop, a doctor says.
Deputy chairman of national health board of Papua New Guinea and chairman of West New Britain health authority Dr Mathias Sapuri said medical and healthcare professionals needed to act responsibly.
Dr Sapuri said he regularly followed social media and was concerned about the propagation of misinformation among the educated population.
“Recently, some of our colleagues are putting out information that is incorrect and misleading to our people in PNG, particularly against the vaccine,” he said.
“A lot of work has been done on vaccines globally, so let’s work on what is scientifically proven by authorities and regulatory authorities internationally that extends to us.
“That remains a fact for us to continue doing what the rest of the world is doing and not to go out on social media and spread information that frightens and scares our people.”
Dr Sapuri said as a medical professional who works daily in the hospital, seeing up to 50 patients as well as performing surgery, he was aware of the challenges patients and healthcare workers faced.
“I am in contact with patients all the time and I am concerned about my wellbeing as well as that of a frontline health worker,” he said.
“So when you have people go and start putting out information in the social media that is incorrect – it doesn’t help us at all.”
Dr Sapuri urged Papua New Guineans not to believe everything they read on social media but to get information from reliable sources and the relevant State agency, the Health Department and National Control Centre.
He called on people to take heed of the control measures because the probability of the Covid-19 getting out of hand in PNG was high.