Sunday Ehigiator
A Nigerian paediatrician, Dr. Gbemisola Boyede, has leveraged social media to provide trusted healthcare information to hundreds of thousands of parents across Nigeria, helping bridge a critical gap in child healthcare access amid a shortage of medical specialists.
Through her Facebook community, Ask The Paediatricians (ATP), Dr. Boyede has built a platform that connects parents with qualified healthcare professionals, offering evidence-based advice on child health and combating the growing threat of medical misinformation online.
The initiative comes at a time when Nigeria has fewer than 1,000 paediatricians serving more than 40 million children, leaving many families without timely access to specialist care.
Speaking on what inspired the initiative, Dr. Boyede said she observed a worrying trend of parents turning to social media for medical advice, only to receive conflicting and sometimes dangerous information.
“I was on Facebook just as everyone else was on Facebook then and I do see mothers come to Facebook to discuss their issues and concerns about the health of their children and see other mothers try to help them sincerely but end up making them more confused with multiple responses and some are frankly dangerous,” she said.
She explained that the experience prompted her to create a platform where parents could receive professional guidance directly from healthcare experts.
“So I decided I needed a platform where parents can interact with real professionals when it comes to child health issues and not get confused. That is how I started the Facebook group,” she added.
Established in July 2015, Ask The Paediatricians has grown from a small online forum into one of Africa’s largest child-health communities, attracting more than 700,000 followers.
Members of the group are able to post questions about their children’s health and receive responses from healthcare professionals and trained moderators.
The platform also hosts weekly Facebook Live sessions, educational discussions, videos and health awareness campaigns designed to improve health literacy among parents and caregivers.
According to Dr. Boyede, the group’s reputation has been built on a commitment to professionalism and evidence-based medical information.
“Health issues are not a democracy of opinion because of the implications, so over the past 10 years, people have learnt to trust ATP. We are a household name when it comes to child health issues,” she said.
The impact of the platform expanded significantly in 2018 when Dr. Boyede was selected for the Facebook Community Leadership Programme (FCLP), a global initiative supporting community leaders who are creating social impact.
She said the programme enabled the organisation to expand its reach and strengthen its operations across the country.
“Facebook, via the Facebook Community Leadership Programme, has been a great blessing to us. We were able to reach more communities and children nationwide largely thanks to funding from FCLP,” she said.
“Our ATP Outreach bus, which has been very useful for our mobile clinics, was also purchased from the FCLP funds. We have also developed the ATP Mobile App. In other words, FCLP has accelerated our progress and impact.”
Beyond funding, Dr. Boyede said the programme exposed her to global networks and learning opportunities, including participation in the Skoll World Forum for Social Entrepreneurs and visits to South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The online community has also evolved into a support network for families facing medical and financial challenges. Through the platform, members have raised funds for children requiring urgent medical care, while some beneficiaries have later become volunteers.
Recalling one of the group’s most memorable success stories, Dr. Boyede spoke about an 11-month-old child suffering from severe malnutrition.
“This mother posted a picture of her baby, severely malnourished at 11 months, weighing 4kg – just a little above the weight of a newborn,” she said.
“We answered her questions but went above and beyond to get her to bring the baby to our hospital. She had financial difficulties but we were able to raise funds, admit the baby to the hospital and treat him.”
She said the child’s recovery remains a constant source of motivation.
“Afterwards, when the baby came for follow-up, he was then 8.2kg. Anytime I am tired of the demands of running the group, I remember that baby who could have died if ATP did not exist and I become motivated to do more.”
Today, Ask The Paediatricians has members not only in Nigeria but also in Ghana, Kenya, the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries. The platform has received several local, regional and international awards for its contributions to child healthcare and community development.
Despite the recognition, Dr. Boyede said her focus remains on ensuring that children do not die from preventable illnesses because their parents lacked access to accurate information or timely medical support.
Encouraging others who hope to build impactful online communities, she said purpose should always outweigh personal gain.
“Don’t do it for popularity, fame or money,” she said. “Do it because you really want to make a difference in people’s lives.”
