Prof Dr Chin Sze Piaw(middle) said that his likeliness was used in a fake interview article claiming that patients should stop taking certain blood pressure medication and switch to a particular supplement.
KUALA LUMPUR: An article containing an interview in which supplements are being promoted is in fact fake, says the medical researcher quoted in the piece.
Cardiologist Prof Dr Chin Sze Piaw said that he was informed of the matter on Sept 25 and filed a police report on the same day as he is concerned that this might lead to patients stopping their heart medication.
"Stopping any blood pressure medication without the advice of your doctor is dangerous and potentially fatal.
I was informed of the matter by other doctors who had patients asking them if the information in the article was true," he said, adding that he did not even recognise the supplement that was touted.
The article, which used photos of him from other sources, "quoted" Dr Chin as saying that certain blood pressure medication had caused the death of a famous Hollywood celebrity and that patients should instead switch to the advertised supplement.
Dr Chin added at a press conference on Sunday (Sept 29) organised by Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong at Wisma MCA that the article was uploaded on a website.
He then said that he has not seen it being shared on social media sites yet.
His lawyer Datuk Joy W. Appukuttan said that his client had also filed a report to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on Thursday (Sept 26).
He added that the priority currently was to clarify the issue to prevent any tragedies from occurring.
Meanwhile, Chong said that he had fallen victim to such a tactic in the past when his likeness was also used to sell health supplements.
Chong then added that it was a possibility that the creators of the supplement were not involved.
"It could actually be from the distributors, who are using this to create sales," he said.
