Poonam Pandey Not The Face Of Cervical Cancer Campaign, Says Govt

Union health ministry officials clarified on Wednesday, February 7,  that actor Poonam Pandey is not under consideration as the brand ambassador for the government's national campaign to raise awareness about cervical cancer. This statement follows earlier reports suggesting that Pandey was in discussions with ministry officials to potentially become the face of the campaign.

Earlier this month, news of Pandey's alleged demise from cervical cancer sparked widespread discussion on social media and garnered significant media attention. Subsequently, it was revealed that the news was faked by the actor and her team as a publicity stunt aimed at promoting ‘critical awareness' about cervical cancer.

Model, actor, and reality TV star Poonam Pandey has reassured her fans about her well-being in a recent series of Instagram videos on February 3. The clarification comes after an official statement, released on February 2 by Pandey's team on her Instagram account, falsely claimed that she had passed away following a battle with cervical cancer.

Renowned for her attention-grabbing antics, the 32-year-old has often resorted to such stunts to garner publicity. However, this particular incident marks a new low in her repertoire. The news of her purported death sent shockwaves throughout the entertainment industry. 

Most Insensitive Publicity Stunt Ever

Indian novelist and columnist Shobhaa De criticised Poonam Pandey's recent publicity stunt, labelling it as one of the cheapest and most insensitive actions ever witnessed. De expressed deep concern over the potential hurt caused to millions of women battling cancer due to Pandey's actions. De also questioned Pandey's motives, suggesting that the stunt was driven by a desire for money and attention.

In her latest Instagram post, Shobhaa De wrote, “This rates as one of the cheapest, most insensitive publicity stunts ever!!!! Shame on this woman for staging it. Just think of the deep hurt caused to millions of women suffering from this dreaded cancer. All this for money and attention??? Pathetic, if true....” She concluded her remarks by endorsing the hashtag #boycottpoonampandey and tagging Pandey's social media handle @poonampandeyreal.

The nation resonates with Shobhaa De's sentiment as Pandey's antics did not just derail the fight for awareness around cervical cancer but also shifted the attention to something that was below the belt.

Swarnima Bhattacharya, the founder of women's health platform Gytree, said "Cancer care & prevention needs systematic awareness, not flash-in-the-pan publicity. Poonam Pandey’s thoughtless stunt has made them a topic of discussion but here’s what it fails to tell you about living with cancer. Chronic pain, spontaneous bleeding in many cases, daily routine of talking to yourself to maintain grit, losing friendships, renegotiating relationships, learning your body afresh-- this is what it means to live with cancer. This is not fodder for publicity but foundation for compassion."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Poonam Pandey (@poonampandeyreal)

Media's Rush to Report Unverified News

Indian journalist Faye D'Souza commented on the incident, stating that she chose not to report the news yesterday as it did not pass her cross-checking process. Given the absence of information from the family and the lack of authenticity in a single post, she expressed scepticism. In her caption, she emphasised the seriousness of cancer battles, noting that she herself is a survivor of liposarcoma and breast cancer. D'Souza condemned the act as a disgraceful way to raise awareness, undermining the genuine efforts made by herself and others to create genuine awareness about cancer.

Here’s what her note read, "What Ms Pandey has done is very distasteful and disrespectful to those who have lost loved ones to Cervical cancer which is a painful and heartbreaking disease. While Iappreciate her cause and I support the need to encourage more girls and women to take the vaccine, this was a terrible way to do it."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Faye D’Souza (@fayedsouza)

 Here are more reactions to the incident:

Reacting to the video, designer Saisha Shinde posted, "Totally disgusted! I called you my friend! You don’t deserve to be my friend! You called this awareness? Shut the f*** up! My mom has had a double mastectomy and she has battled cancer! My sister has had a kidney failure and she’s passed away, my aunt died of mental illness and unlike you they can never come back! Death is not a joke! Death is not a publicity stunt! It’s an actual non quantifiable fact! Shame on you @poonampandeyreal you played with our emotions! And I will never forgive you for this ! Never! What has the world come to? Who are these people?"

Wow, so #PoonamPandey is alive. A friend of mine told me in private last night that this is a campaign by a digital agency, but I was skeptical. Because could we really fall this low? Looks like we have.

So many things wrong with this. #Thread

— Nikhil Taneja (@tanejamainhoon) February 3, 2024

In a world where, doctors and healthcare specialists are trying their best to build hopes around cancer by assuring that there are treatments available, cure available, #PoonamPandey did some serious damage to that effort. How many cancer patients and their families must have got…

— Sayema (@_sayema) February 3, 2024

Babil Khan expressed his disapproval of the move on his Instagram stories.

SheThePeople cautiously reported on the news, refraining from making conclusive statements until confirming the details. Our coverage appropriately framed the situation as "Speculation Around Poonam Pandey’s Death Due To Cervical Cancer"

 Views expressed are the author's own.