Doctor under fire for labeling patient's fat tissue as 'lard' in medical report

A South Korean doctor is facing backlash for allegedly describing a patient’s fat tissue as “pig lard.”

The incident was revealed Tuesday on JTBC’s current affairs show “Scandal Supervisor." A patient who had been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism visited a local hospital after experiencing heart palpitations and shortness of breath.

For further assessment, the doctor ordered a CT scan and she paid around 800,000 won ($579).

When reviewing the scan results, the patient was shocked to find the word “pig lard” in parenthesis next to the term “fat tissue” on the medical report.

She asked for an explanation and the doctor reportedly told her, “There’s too much fat. It’s because you are overweight. All of this is fat.”

She protested, saying, “Regardless of the circumstances, you don’t call someone’s fat ‘pig lard.’” In response, the doctor reportedly told her he was trying to help her understand.

She claimed the doctor then became irate and said, “If you are offended, don’t come back. If you want to hear nice things, go to a psychiatrist.”

The woman later formally lodged a complaint with the hospital, and the hospital’s vice president reportedly apologized on behalf of the doctor.

The woman has also filed a defamation complaint against the doctor and staged a one-person protest at the hospital.