Meet Cameroonian doctor who educates in Pidgin English

The use of social media has exploded in Cameroon during the past two years! While the Cameroon government is jittering about the fast form of communication, Dr Suzan Enjema Aweh popularly known as Dr Sea is using it to give health advice.

The Cameroonian doctor gives health advice on YouTube, in mostly in Pidgin English, as a way to counter infrastructure bottlenecks in the country where access to doctors and remains a challenge.

The Germany-based doctor specialises in internal medicine and cardiology and uses short videos to offer information and advice on how people can prevent and manage diseases as well as receive treatment.

Dr. Sea calls what she does ‘meducation’ the topics covered are mostly done in pidgin English, which is widely spoken in parts of West Africa. The physician started filming videos in 2014 after a colleague asked if she was interested in filming health segments.

“When he approached me I was like brilliant idea, I already have lectures in hypertension, lectures in diabetes in pidgin and we can just star, why don’t we start… So I remember the very first day we started I actually left from night duty I was tired but I had to do that video. I was very excited about it and since then taking watch of all the things I ever did in front of the camera became a new… became my world,” she said.

Cameroon is struggling with a shortage of medical professionals with fewer than two doctors for every 10 000 people, making it difficult to provide adequate medical services.

Dr Sea wants to help fill the gap in medical services through her program.

Watch one of her episodes below...