About Health Patrol

Health Patrol, a Not-for-Profit initiative, is an online platform to bust fake health news being circulated on the internet and social media by checking the veracity of it through research and releasing the verified news in the public domain.

Health Patrol is being spearheaded by renowned cardiologist and Padma Shri awardee Dr. Krishan Kumar Aggarwal who is the President of Heart Care Foundation of India and Ex-National President of Indian Medical Association. He has put together a team consisting of experienced doctors from a multitude of medical specialisations like Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Infectious Diseases, Diabetes and Endocrinology,  and subject matter experts who’ll be providing the necessary knowledge and expertise required to research and investigate the authenticity of any piece of health news in circulation.

Present status
As the COVID pandemic holds the world firmly in its grip, health as a subject has gained unprecedented attention from all quarters, so much so that it has taken over the conversation everywhere across mediums, especially digital and social media platforms.

While at one end the social media has been a very potent medium for sharing and consuming important information related to health, but on the other side, it has also led to an explosion of fake information, wrong data, and at times prescriptive solutions across platforms. With the internet penetration going up in the country and the sheer number of users using these platforms for communicating and sharing information shooting through the roof, these social media platforms have turned into breeding grounds for outlandish, exaggerated, and often dangerous ’fake health tips and news’. This covers misinformation and hoaxes that go viral, and can often lead to undesirable consequences.

So what could be a way out for all the health-related misinformation?
We felt enough is enough, therefore we are taking the onus upon ourselves to launch and support a platform that can be the go-to ally for people to verify a piece of news or social media forward related to health. It aims to empower people with the right information in order to save them from falling prey to malicious health tips and recommendations. That is a critical step in enabling a better healthcare system in the country for the future.