TIKTOK is Helping to Simplify Health Challenges

Ugo Aliogo

Over the last 12 months, TikTok in Nigeria has undergone a phenomenon that has seen an influx of healthcare professionals on the app who are invested in helping to engage people on the benefits and advantage of healthy living as well as demystifying certain negative stereotypes about healthcare in the country.

Doctors like TheRealSabiDoctor and OfficialBlaire are helping people navigate topics like sexual education and post-partum lifestyle that would typically be taboo subjects in some Nigerian social settings. While these are the topics they are passionate about, their content goes beyond that to dive into general healthcare and its intersection with entertainment purposes. As TikTok has become the number one platform for entertainment-related content in Nigeria, this represents an evolution of what is being consumed on the app.

But it represents a larger reflection of the culture of stigma that surrounds topics about healthcare in Nigeria. Discussions that center on healthcare are seen as taboo.

One popular healthcare professional on TikTok, TheRealSabiDoctor, attributes it on a lack of awareness among some Nigerians. ‘I think it’s mostly due to lack of awareness and also the fact that we often attribute spiritual/diabolical connotations to some of these health issues,’ he said. ‘For example, there are some cultures that believe that an illness like epilepsy is spiritual.’

However, the rise of TikTok and its increasing importance to questions of healthcare has allowed these discussions to take place unimpeded virtually. “Tiktok makes teaching a lot easier and less stressful compared to other platforms where I teach,” he explained. “Also, one thing I particularly like is the fact that they push content to reach international audiences. For example, my 2nd largest following comes from the USA.” The global nature of his outreach has made his audience a truly multi-cultural one and it reflects in the messages he gets: “You don’t want to see my DM. It’s impossible to keep up with,” he jokingly added.

As attitudes to health care start to change in the country, the doctor is hopeful that more people will be able to live fuller lives with a healthy lifestyle. “Although I am already seeing positive changes in the health-seeking behaviors of my audience even now, in the long-term I hope to see more people choosing to live healthier by being deliberate about their health and general wellbeing,” the doctor hinted.