He is one of the leading oncology doctors in Kerala and is on a mission to fight a lot of misinformation and bogus medical advices being circulated on cancer on social media. Amidst his busy schedule as senior oncology surgeon of Caritas Cancer Institute in Kottayam, Dr Jojo V Joseph finds time to reach out to the people through various social media platforms to help them clarify their doubts on issues related to cancer and its treatment.
He does it considering it as his social commitment to the society which is being largely misguided by a lot of fake information on cancer and different bogus treatments.
Though he started using social media platforms from 2010 just to connect with his friends and family members, he soon realised that he should make use of social media to seriously fight fake informations because of the type of queries he started getting from people. He was shocked to find that many blindly believed a lot of bogus information being circulated in Whatsapp groups.
“I started using social media way back in 2010. I was passively active on social platforms then, mainly to connect with my friends and also to pass time. But soon I realised that even educated people believed in forwarded messages on cancer and different bogus treatment claims that come in WhatsApp and shared widely on social media. Majority of them believed these messages without even conducting a fact check and followed the bogus treatments mentioned in these messages. Many a times, I have seen patients losing their lives by going after such bogus medical advices and fake treatments,” Dr Jojo told “Open Digest”.
Recalling an incident in which wife of his close friend lost her life after following a bogus treatment claim for cancer, he said it was her death that made him to start using social media seriously to fight misinformation, pinpoint fake medical news and bust myths. “Through my videos and articles, I attempt to present science-based information and facts to give people a clear idea about the disease and tell them what steps should be taken to prevent cancer. I started writing small articles, which received much appreciation from people. They started to ask doubts about miracle cancer cure methods and ‘medicinal’ plants like Lakshmi Tharu. When queries started to pour in, I thought I will start making videos to share my knowledge with the people and clarify their doubts.”
He warned people to verify the authenticity of informations being circulated in social media. “Often this fake information comes with a mark of authenticity such as ‘FDA approved’. Whenever you come across such messages, verify with doctors. You may even write to me to clear such doubts.” he added.
Dr Jojo has come out with a new video in his YouTube channel about how fakesters are spreading messages that 5G technology will result in more cancer cases. In his video, he scientifically dispels the messages. In another video, he explains why baby powder and shampoo should not be used on babies as the chemicals in it were harmful.
Great sir
He is doing a great job by making awareness among public about cancer.Many unethical and unscientific practices are going on in our country by exploiting ignorance of common man.This unethical practices deny early diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. Appreciate the service by Dr Jojo through social media for a noble cause.