Ministries of Health are now on TikTok. That’s good news.

COVID-19 brought Health Authorities to the platform. That’s good news for public health communication.

By Dante Licona — April 25, 2020

Having worked as a government official and as a World Health Organization staffer in the past, I’ve seen the real place that Ministries of Health occupy in the political food-chain. Broadly speaking, it’s not very high — there are not nearly enough resources invested in them, let alone for their communication efforts.

Unfortunately, only during health emergencies the eyes of the majority of the public turn to the health authorities. Everyone is looking for answers. During times of crisis, the expectations are high for reliable public health communication. Everyone wants to be safe. And that includes young people.

So, what’s the best platform to connect with Gen-Z in 2020? The answer is not necessarily Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. On Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Twitch or TikTok you may have better chances, depending which country you’re in.

For about a year, with my IFRC teammates we’ve been spending quite some time trying to refine our TikTok tactics. During the ongoing coronavirus crisis we are sharing public health messages, making sure they feel native to the platform. We are also repackaging inspiring Red Cross and Red Crescent videos showing what our volunteers and staff around the world are doing to stop COVID-19.

On February 28 our friends and colleagues from WHO joined TikTok. And that clearly had an effect. I imagine many digital communicators in Ministries of Health around the world using that example as a strong argument for convincing their managers to let them give it a try. That’s good news for public health. Enabling creative communication for keeping all of us safe.

The following is a chronological list of the verified accounts from National Health authorities I could find. Here is a quick take on how they’re doing so far!

🇲🇽 Mexico — Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social

The Mexican Institute for Social Security was an early adopter in its sector. They joined TikTok back in November 2019. Their first coronavirus related video was posted on 28 February, accumulating up to one million views. “Susana Distancia” — a communication campaign by the Mexican government — also made it to the IMSS TikTok account. That’s one of their most widely seen TikToks with 2.1 million views.

🇹🇭 Thailand — กระทรวง สาธารณสุข

The Ministry of Health has been unstoppable. Since joining the platform on 4 March, they have posted up to 5 videos per day. With a combination of Situation Reports (Sitreps), animations, and classic TikToks. This is one of their most popular videos.

🇵🇭 Philippines — Department of Health

The DoH team shared with the world their first TikTok on 5 March — to date the video has 1.1 million views (“The Weekend” a pretty cool song was chosen for that debut). Since then, they posted 5 additional messages. On April 10 they hosted a live Q&A session.

🇳🇱 The Netherlands — Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport

The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport of the Netherlands joined TikTok on 5 March. Their videos are a combination of infographics, animations and video edits that most likely were created outside the app. Their most recent video, about physical distancing, is very well executed, with a nice combination of music and multi-screen footage.

🇻🇳 Viet Nam — Bộ Y Tế

The Ministry of Health of Viet Nam posted its first video on 12 March. They have so far shared 39 videos. A mix of animations and edits from a government spokesperson. Their most watched video is calling for everyone to stay safe at home.

🇩🇪 Germany — Bundesministerium für Gesundheit

They launched on 25 March, with a video featuring the Minister of Health. The vast majority of their TikToks are full screen animations, optimised for the platform (On Instagram the same information can be found, just in a square version 👍🏽). This handwashing animation has over 1.2 million views and it’s one of the most popular videos in their channel so far.

🇦🇷 Argentina — Ministerio de Salud de la Nación

Almost 40 videos and 53k followers in less than a month. The Argentinian Ministry of Health launched on 27 March with quite a rhythm, even posting up to 3 updates on a single day. A combination of animations and native TikToks make most of the content. There is a clear emphasis on fighting misinformation, inviting the public to go to the MoH website for reliable advise. The Minister herself has been part of TikTok live Q&As. Even though it’s not among the most viewed, I particularly liked this video 👇

🇺🇦 Ukraine — Міністерство охорони здоров’я України

Their debut happened on 31 March. And since then, they have produced 20 videos. Most of them are clearly created for the platform, giving the impression they are mostly edited within TikTok. Only a couple of their videos are regular PSAs (Public service announcement). A “Stay Home” message is one of their most popular videos so far, making a great adaptation of an ongoing trend #залишитисявдома

🇬🇧 United Kingdom — National Health Service

The NHS posted two videos so far, but their debut was profoundly emotional, A nurse shared his reaction just after listening the applause for health workers doing everything they can to stop COVID-19.

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic — Ministerio de Salud Pública

Is there a better timing to join than World Health Day? On 7 April they posted their first video. For the moment, all their videos are PSAs answering frequently asked questions. They are posted in a landscape format. If they embrace the full screen vertical power of the video platform, their messages will get even more traction. Their most popular video so far? About the effectiveness of soap.

🇨🇭 Switzerland — Bundesamt für Gesundheit / Office fédéral de la santé publique / Ufficio federale della Sanità pubblica

The multilingual nature of the country is reflected in the Swiss public health TikTok account. They launched on 9 April. This animation invites the audience to call a support 📱 number if they are seeking support during the ongoing crisis. The messages are in 3 of the 4 official languages of 🇨🇭.