Doctor Nadim Uddin Siddiqui fixes his gaze on a camera in the shiny new studios of Health TV in Karachi, and prepares to take the day’s first question.
“My husband doesn’t want to make love anymore, what should I do doctor? “The housewife asks over the phone.
In Pakistan, a new TV show is trying to deal with the delicate subject of sex and embarrassing illnesses without angering conservatives.
Most of the 80-odd television stations in the country fill their airtime with cooking shows, soap operas, cricket and interminable chatshows debating the country’s myriad political dramas.
But once a week, for an hour, Health TV does something very different: it takes questions from viewers on sex. Or more precisely, sexual problems.
“My husband only wants to do it once a week, sometimes once a fortnight, and it doesn’t last very long,” continues Ayesha the housewife, calling from the eastern city of Lahore.
Dr. Siddiqui says “We call this loss of libido…it occurs when you have a low level of testosterone. You should work on your husband’s diet, feed him more fish and push him to exercise,” he says.
“God willing your husband will get better.”
Each Thursday “Clinic Online”, which began airing a year ago, takes dozens of calls on subjects ranging from loss of libido and erectile dysfunction to questions about sexually-transmitted diseases, micro-penises and nymphomania.
Health TV is quietly making its presence felt on the local scene.
