Mokokchung, July 16 (MTNews): The Office of the Medical Superintendent, Imkongliba Memorial District Hospital (IMDH) Mokokchung has expressed shock over a news report that a state TV channel ran on the evening of July 15, 2022 under the headline, “Hornbill TV Pays Surprise Visit to Mokokchung Civil Hospital,” and clarified its position in order to “avoid misleading the viewers and the public in this age of media sensationalism.”
“It was unprofessional on the part of the reporter to force the medical officer on emergency duty at the emergency ward to give a media interview when he had politely refused to give the interview citing that he is not authorized to give media interviews,” the MS of IMDH said in a press release. The statement went on to say that the TV channel made a “sensational news report with selective footage.”
“The duty of a medical officer on emergency duty is to be present in the emergency ward and respond to emergencies. We believe that any other TV channel would have shown footage of the hospital and reported that the emergency doctor is physically present in the emergency section along with the nurses and other healthcare workers at the time of filing the report,” the statement added.
The press statement also emphasized the need for consensus before conducting any personal interviews, whether with patients, members of the public, or government officials. “As per the news report, the TV Reporter mistook the Medical Officer on emergency duty to be the overall in-charge of the hospital. The District Hospital in every district is manned by a Medical Superintendent and there are numerous departments headed by various medical and non-medical officers,” it informed.
Regarding the report that the OPD, Dental, and other departments were found to be locked, it said that the footage was filmed after 5pm and clarified that it was only logical that such departments would be closed after business hours. “One cannot go into a college campus after 5 PM and accuse that some of the classrooms and offices have been found to be closed,” it added.
“During the filming of the report, the emergency ward along with the doctor and nurses were fully functional. All the health officials tending to inpatients were present and tending to their duties,” it clarified.
The IMDH press release further censured the TV channel for creating “sensational news out of a normal situation” where everything was running smoothly and termed it highly condemnable and uncalled for. “As the fourth pillar of democracy and the custodian of truth, the duty of the media is to act like a mirror of society and reflect the truth to society. That mirror was unfortunately tainted on the evening of the 15th of July 2022. In this age of TRPs, fake news and misinformation, where the common man is starving for truth and justice, a respected TV channel like Hornbill TV Nagaland is expected to practice robust journalism and avoid being carried away by media sensationalism,” it concluded.