Role of health journalism in improving eye care stressed
Aqib Hussain
PESHAWAR: The Sunrise Today Media Network (STMN) in collaboration with Pakistan Institute of Community Ophthalmology (PICO) organized 1-day Training on Eye Care and Health Journalism here on Tuesday in which journalists, doctors and medical students were guided on modern and advance scientific lines regarding eye care and health journalism.
It was the first ever media training of its kind in Pakistan held under the mentorship of Prof Dr Sanaullah Jan, Director, PICO, while Asif Khan Turk, Editor, Sunrise Today and President, Science Journalism Society of Pakistan, served as chief organizer. Senior most ophthalmologist Prof Dr Daud Khan, Italy-based health journalist Lucas Duran and several other well-known health professionals were also among the participants.
Addressing the workshop Asif Khan Turk said that the main purpose of health journalism was to create awareness in society on the issues of health, adding that media organizations should rightly highlight the symptoms, prevention and cure of different kinds of eye diseases to educate the public on eye care.
He also stressed on the need for strong linkages between the health professionals and journalists to effectively communicate the necessary knowledge of eye healthcare to common folk, saying that national media should prioritize the health issues of the public and firmly work on the improvement of health sector.
Prof Dr Sanaullah Jan while giving his presentation told that the government should prioritize the health of the people by allocating enough funds to health sector, adding that without reasonable financial support the situation of eye care in Pakistan would remain deteriorated and a large number of people might lose their eyesight in the near future.
While addressing the event Prof Dr Daud Khan stated that it was the right time to strongly support eye care by adopting all the precautionary measures, adding that it was the best approach to prioritize the eye healthcare, therefore, every member of society should play his/her due role with devotion and spirit in this regard.
Prof Dr Shahid Ayub also gave a lecture on professionalism and emphasized on health professionals to be committed and devoted to their profession and every effort should be made to become good professionals, continuing that without professionalism the goal of a healthy society could not be achieved.
Addressing the participants Prof Dr Tahmeedullah delivered a presentation on publication ethics and highlighted the multiple related issues. He told that before publishing any content the writer should take good care of the copy rights as it was very important for producing credible, authentic and fair content.
Dr Junaid Faisal Wazir gave a lecture on common eye diseases and discussed the role of medical journalism in improving the quality of life. A seasoned journalist Muhammad Shahid also delivered a presentation on the basics of health reporting and guided the participants on how to write best health reports, news and articles. At the end, Dr Muhammad Ziauddin Khalil presented vote of thanks to participants and organizers of the program.
Related Posts
Comments