Dr Solomon Kimera brings a lighter side to practicing medicine

DR SOLOMON KIMERA, 26, is a medical doctor but is more famous for his TikTok handle @ solo.md where he jokes about the day-to-day life of doctors and their patients.

His content has propelled him to stardom on social media, with his X handle having more than 1.6 million followers. He recently sat down with Quick Talk for an interview on a chilly Wednesday evening, dressed casually in a floral shirt, elegant grey trousers and sneakers.

Good evening, Doctor!

Please tell Quick Talk more about yourself. My name is Dr Solomon Kimera, and I am a qualified medical doctor. I am Ugandan, born and raised in Kampala. I am also a well-known content creator, mostly on TikTok [he answers calmly as people passing by recognize him and say a quick hello].

Doctors are known to be very busy people, yet you have such a presence on social media!

You realize everybody has a bit of free time; there is no such thing as a job is busy and you don’t have free time; there is always that lunch break, that breakfast time, and that time when you have just woken up. My TikTok journey started during Covid-19 in 2020, but becoming a sensation on the internet began [with one video] in 2023.

That video was inspired by events that occurred one afternoon, when I received a patient, a lady. Based on how she was replying to me as I advised on her treatment became my first medical parody video that took the internet by storm.

What did the patient say in the video?

She told me, “Dr, I’m not fond of injections, but again, I am not comfortable with oral medication. I don’t like medicines; they make me puke.”

So, in my mind, I was wondering how this lady wanted me to treat her. So, I got furious, but this is something every health worker battles with. So, I went in the back room alone and I got out my phone camera with some random filter decided to say [my frustration] out loud.

The views the video got gave me the momentum to keep on posting content on social media.

How many views did you get?

I was on TikTok before people first got to know about Dr Solo. I was a random user with about 50,000 followers since the period of lockdown. That video I made concerning what doctors go through with their patients got over 300,000 views, which gave me the momentum.

I try to diversify my content as much as possible because. I would say my content in the beginning was more of medical jokes; however, along the way, I started diversifying, and I think I am naturally talented.

I think outside the box, outside my normal hospital confines, and I started creating content about funny, relatable things about regular day-to-day life. I could categorize my content as relatable jokes ranging from the hospital where I work, the public spaces where I thrive, the home where I stay, to the friends I chill with.

Originally, I used to put a phone camera in front of my face, and I would then use any random filter and create content. I transitioned to the premium content and now I have a camera guy, a guy responsible for sound, a guy responsible for lighting.

Do you get noticed a lot in public?

I get that a lot, and at the moment, it’s hard to find twenty Ugandans who are using social media and they don’t know Dr Solo. They always have a favourite video which they remind me of and I always take time to listen and take selfies with them [he mimics some fans’ reactions when they see him.]

Do you see yourself continuing as a content creator even as your medical profession grows?

I see myself building my career as a medical professional and also as a top-notch content creator. The fame my TikTok channel has brought me has made me use it as an avenue to give people health tips and also promote healthy living.

Have you got endorsements for your content?

You know, in the medical world, it’s unethical to influence drugs, and we don’t promote hospitals because it’s ethically unacceptable. But the ministry of Health and other NGOs that work around the health sector have campaigns like Obulamu Uganda, which was financed by USAID, and Ministry of Health have availed endorsement opportunities that enabled me to talk about issues like condom use, oral HIV test kit and now the selling hot cake in the health world: the malaria vaccine.

How does a normal day in your life run?

I have a schedule I follow but as a medical doctor, there are days that I am on duty and days I am not on duty. I see patients from 8am up to 5pm, and from 5pm to the next day, I take that as my personal time to create content and also go workout in the gym.

What inspires you?

I love creating content; when you see some of my skits you realize that I love what I do and I believe something funny that should make one laugh should be effortless. I always draw my inspiration from the love I have for patient care.

How many takes do you need for a perfect video?

It depends; skits where you see me running and jumping onto a boda can need [multiple takes] to perfect the one-minute video. In some cases, we can spend 24 hours or three days making one video come to life, considering factors like the timing.

But if the skit isn’t hard, I use my phone and I can record the video within five minutes.

How was it growing as Solomon Kimera?

I was born and raised in a humble background, and life wasn’t that easy. To come this far, it has always been God. I was born in a very supportive family, as things were not that easy, and I wasn’t a planned kid.

I was born in the suburbs of Kampala and grew up in an extended family, but my parents were so supportive, especially my mother, Catherine Nakyeyune.

What is your best childhood memory?

My best childhood memory was the day I started school; I really can’t forget how I looked back then; the images are still stuck in my mind. I also remember I had my aunt who was there for character development and she could put me right whenever I went wrong and she always lived up to the biblical saying of “Spare the rod and spoil the child.”

Which schools did you go to?

I went to Edna preschool Kabowa, Trinity Children Centre for lower primary, and Kasozi Junior School for my P7. Then, for my O and A-level, I went to Merryland High School, which gave me a strong foundation for my university education.

I went to Gulu University for a bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery.

What does the future look like for Dr Solomon?

The future is going to be bright, bro! The God who has brought me this far can’t forsake me; so, I feel the future is bright for me and the people around me.

Are you in a relationship?

I am single and focusing on chasing the bag. What do you do for fun besides content creation? I love working out in the gym but I have exotic hobbies like travelling.