Doctors seek action against TV channel

“Television channels try to boost their TRP rating by showing medical practitioners in a bad light since they are considered weak targets”

Members of Tamil Nadu Government Doctors’ Association (TNGDA) and Indian Medical Association (IMA) have sought action against a television channel for telecasting a talk show that allegedly defamed doctors and criticised government health schemes.

K. Senthil, State president, TNGDA, held the channel and the anchor of the talk show responsible for sending out a wrong message about government health schemes and doctors in the State.

He alleged that the programme, in which the participants and the anchor were making “false allegations” against medical practitioners in general, was staged with an intent to malign them.

“The participants in the show, ‘Neeya Naana,’ do not appear to be doctors. We are taking steps to verify their credentials,” said K.N. Shahul Hameed, president, IMA (Madurai branch).

Condemning the TV show, its director and the anchor, the members said television channels tried to boost their TRP rating by showing medical practitioners in a bad light since they were considered weak targets.

They alleged that the doctors, who participated in the programme, misled viewers about various procedures such as scan and X-ray.

The programme aimed at straining the doctor-patient relationship. In the future, doctors would be unable to advise their patients to run medical tests owing to the bad influence of the programme, said Dr. Senthil.

Doctors and medical students across the State had staged demonstrations against the programme. The association was also considering legal action against the channel and had forwarded a petition to the Chief Minister’s Cell seeking intervention of the State government, he said.