Actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu recently made headlines when Dr Cyriac Abby Philips, also known as The Liver Doc, criticised her for spreading misinformation about hydrogen peroxide nebulization. The Liver Doc labelled Samantha as "health illiterate" and suggested that she should face imprisonment for disseminating such misinformation.
In response, Samantha penned a lengthy post criticising the doctor's choice of words, acknowledging that she is not an expert on the topic, and requesting that the doctor be more polite.
She wrote, "It would have been kind and compassionate of him had he not been so proactive with his words. Especially the bit where he suggests I should be thrown in prison. Nevermind. I suppose it goes with the territory of being a celebrity. I posted as someone who needs medical treatment and not as a celebrity."
The Liver Doc has now written a lengthy post addressing the two doctors mentioned by Samantha in her response, labelling them as 'frauds' and 'businessmen.' However, he also issued an apology to Samantha in his post.
In his message, The Liver Doc highlighted his over 10 years of experience in the medical field and expressed that debating with Samantha's doctors, Mitra Basu Chillar and Dr. Jockers, was not worthwhile. He detailed various practices they were engaged in, noting that some were improper and others were not permissible.
In his long post, he wrote, "I understand and empathize with Samantha's health condition, and I wish her the very best. I apologize if she felt uneasy or bad about the way the message was conveyed. That was unintentional. My aim was for her to leave behind medical misinformation, peddling "doctors" who are using her vulnerability and catering to her anecdotal experiences for their own gain. I sincerely suggest that patients with chronic illnesses please continue with evidence-based medical practices to remain inside a safety net and sanctuary."
I have been fighting medical/health misinformation for the longest time and it just does not seem to end. I have come to understand that the only way to fight medical misinformation is to consistently speak about it and make examples of people who mislead and misinform.
Many… pic.twitter.com/YQBHD2Fgq4
In his previous post, he criticized Samantha for promoting an incorrect medical practice and labelled her a serial offender.