Kathmandu: Speaker Devraj Ghimire has highlighted the challenges of communicating public health information in simple language during a program marking the 10th Foundation Day of the Health Journalists Forum Nepal. He emphasized the critical role of health journalism in informing the public about health-related issues, including diseases. Ghimire noted the difficulty of presenting fact-based health information in a way that the general public can easily understand. Additionally, he pointed out the challenges posed by the misuse of technology, such as artificial intelligence, and the spread of fake news.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Speaker Ghimire called for greater responsibility from individuals and institutions involved in genre-based journalism, particularly in health. He stressed that the focus should be on writing news that prioritizes disease prevention rather than merely describing diseases. Minister for Health and Population Pradeep Poudel, who also spoke at the event, mentioned that health journalists play a crucial role in holding leaders in the state and health sectors accountable, especially since medical advancements have not yet made treatment accessible to the general public.
World Health Organization Nepal Chief Dr. Rajesh Sambhaji Rao Pandav underscored the importance of journalists in raising public health awareness and noted WHO’s collaboration with the Health Journalists Forum Nepal on various public health issues. Federation of Nepali Journalists President Nirmala Sharma highlighted the growth of health journalism alongside genre-based journalism and cautioned against considering all digital media content as news. Forum President Bisha Kafle reflected on the forum’s 10-year history and its various initiatives.