Veteran Radio and TV presenter Jimmy Gathu is back on the screens with a new health talk show on KTN Home. Mr Gathu who has graced local television screens, radio waves, billboards, functions and campaigns as an actor and presenter for more than 25 years, will be hosting the ‘Doctors Practice’, a 45-minute weekly talk show modelled on topical health issues.
The media personality, who previously hosted the Women Leadership Show on the same station, is known for influencing change through infomercials like ‘Mpango wa Kando’ that championed fidelity and safe sex. The Doctors’ Practice, which began airing on KTN Home in February is a family show targeting mainly between 28 and 45 year-olds. It is televised every Saturday from 5pm.
The show approaches health discussions in a light manner, using Swangish, an informal hybrid of official English and Swahili languages for communication, which makes target audience to easily connect to the conversation.
Talkshows have become popular on TV station in drawing in audiences and are presenters who exited mainstream media to find relevance in the now highly competitive media industry. Jimmy Gathu is also understood to be among a batch of radio presenters recently recruited by KBC radio to boost its ratings.
The show comprises a rich panel of key stakeholders in health discussing each topical issue in four main angles: the doctors’, pharmaceutical, nutritional and healthcare financing aspects. It also has in-hospital demonstration of procedures involved. The show also allows the audience to witness how certain medical procedures are done through in-hospital practical demonstration without showing gory images.
It offers insights into a patient’s experience through a brief conversation with someone who has been affected by the disease. The professionals, on the other hand, are engaged in a more creative way with the host, based on the patients experience, introducing the topic in a paradoxical manner which paves way for a panel discussion.
“The Doctors’ Practice is a revolutionary talk show that approaches health in a more lighter and humorous way without losing the sensitivity of the issue. It seeks to offer TV viewers opportunity to interact with various stakeholders in the health sector as they seek solutions to current health issues,” said Alex Kasanduku, CEO Doctors Practice Ltd and a Director at Inburst Coporate Ltd, which has established a network of training events and platforms for healthcare across the region.
The talk show is aimed at connecting health professionals to the ordinary person who has limited sources of healthcare information. Even print media and radio have lately focused on health issues, to feed the growing appetite for knowledge.
The life span of talkshows is fueled mainly by sponsors and Doctors Practice will be hoping to bring on board organisations, including big pharma, to sustain the show besides addressing relevant topics that will resonate with the Kenyan audience in an era where most people are becoming increasingly conscious of their health.
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Lifestyle diseases and conditions have become the biggest threat to modern Kenya, leaving many people helpless without the right information. Medical bills are among the biggest expenses for households and deaths related to these lifestyle diseases have increased over the past few years.
“Doctors Practice show has attracted healthcare multinationals, local brands and key stakeholders interested in connecting with the consumers of healthcare services,” said Martin Muli, Chairman, Doctors Practice Ltd.
“At the end of every season, we will have a town hall that will bring together the healthcare ecosystem to deliberate on key thematic issues that affect the industry and at the same time Map out key industry growth opportunities.”
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