Korean Doctor Comes Under Fire For Labeling Patient’s Fat Tissues As “Pig Lard”
A recent incident of a Korean doctor body-shaming his patient while she sought medical care has invited scrutiny from all over the world.
On Tuesday, October 22, JTBC’s current affairs show, “Scandal Supervisor,” reported on this incident, which then made headlines globally. A patient who had been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism visited a local hospital after she experienced heart palpitations and shortness of breath. Her doctor ordered a CT scan for further assessment, which cost her around ₩800,000 KRW (about $576 USD).
When the scan results came back, the patient was horrified to see that the phrase “pig lard” was written in parenthesis next to the phrase “fat tissue” on the official medical document.
When she confronted the doctor, he reportedly responded by saying that he was trying to make the report understandable to her. The patient claimed that when she insisted he couldn’t label someone’s fat tissues as pig lard, he got aggressive. He told the patient off, saying she should “go to a psychiatrist” if she wanted to hear “nice things.”
The patient later filed a formal complaint with the hospital and reportedly received an apology from the hospital’s vice president. She has also filed a defamation complaint against the doctor.
