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If you’re regularly on Twitter, chances are you’ve at least run into a tweet by the ‘Aproko Doctor’. His tweets are often about health matters: the importance of exercise, eating healthy, avoiding late-night snaking, first aid tips, and other health management advice.
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He’s been a hit on that platform. Not many Nigerians there—let alone medical doctors –can boast a following of over 900,000 people. Behind the Aproko Doctor Persona is a man who does attend to patients in real life, as a medical practitioner. Nonso Egemba remains devoted to his day-job, managing to juggle it with his social media content creator and influencer role. He says he began sharing health and wellness tips on digital channels after realizing that many Nigerians were suffering ailments that they could have avoided if they simply lived healthier lives. While Nonso Egemba was a medical student at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, he encountered numerous patients who fit this category. Dr. Egemba believed that he could help change this situation by reaching out to people on social media—because it was the easiest way to connect with a large segment of the Nigerian populace. He’s doing that with his Aproko Doctor brand. His tweets have attracted a huge following, mostly from Nigeria; not a few non-Nigerians have declared their appreciation for his work. Besides the written content he puts out, he also does skits in which he features as a traditional healer tackling client’s health-related complaints.
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There’s evidence that Dr. Egemba’s tweets have proved beneficial to many in his audience. For example, someone was able to save a baby from choking on an earring she had swallowed, by following advice that Dr. Egemba had shared on Twitter in the past. But the impact of his work extends beyond the tips he drops on social media. He’s launched the 100K Club, which aims to have 100,000 people set aside at least ₦500 every month to help indigent Nigerians pay their medical bills. Dr. Egemba believes that his healthcare advocacy on social media has made more people aware of the benefits of adopting a healthy lifestyle. He says he now intends to take his message beyond new media, to the offline world where a majority of Nigerians are to be found.   Featured Image Source: @aproko_doctor – Twitter
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This article was first published on 12th February 2021

ikenna-nwachukwu

Ikenna Nwachukwu holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He loves to look at the world through multiple lenses- economic, political, religious and philosophical- and to write about what he observes in a witty, yet reflective style.

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