"If Medical School Quotas Increase, 5 Doctors Will Touch Female Patients' Breasts"... Controversy Over Plastic Surgeon’s Post

Plastic Surgery Specialist Reveals Medical School Internship Story
"More Interns Lead to Female Patients Running Away"... Remarks Draw Backlash

A doctor opposing the government's plan to increase medical school quotas has sparked controversy by citing an inappropriate example. Dr. A, a plastic surgeon and YouTuber with 1,000 subscribers, shared a story on social media on the 13th, saying, "This happened during my clinical rotation as a medical student."

Dr. A explained, "A surgery professor was examining a young woman’s breast. She had come in after feeling a lump while showering. The professor looked at the ultrasound and said, 'It seems like a benign tumor, so don’t worry,' and then made a request." He continued, "The professor asked, 'There are students on rotation nearby; is it okay if they touch the tumor area?' The female patient agreed, and three students, including me, took turns palpating the area."

[Image source=Thread capture by A]

He then stated, "Now that the annual medical school quota is increasing to 2,000 students, it won’t be three but five students doing this," adding, "If five students do that, the female patient will 100% curse and run away!!!" This pointed out that as the number of medical students increases, more students will palpate sensitive body parts during clinical practice, which patients may avoid.

When a netizen responded, "That’s not true. If three students make the patient uncomfortable but she agrees, wouldn’t she also agree to five?" Dr. A replied, "Even three students make her look uneasy; more than that means she would run away." He further emphasized, "It varies by person, but patients visiting obstetrics-gynecology or breast surgery departments might be even more sensitive. They came because they are in pain, so having students take turns touching their bodies would be irritating." He added, "Even now, there are so many students crowded in the operating room just to observe one surgery; it’s horrifying to imagine."

Although the intention was to argue for expanding medical infrastructure, criticism arose over the choice of using a woman’s body as an example. Netizens reacted with comments such as "This is low-level," "What’s going on in that doctor’s head?" and "There are only two students at most during clinical practice; the example is strange." The post has since been deleted.

Rehabilitation medicine doctor B. [Image source: YouTube channel 'Busan Doctor Kim Wonjang' capture]

This controversy also brought up remarks from another doctor who opposed increasing medical school quotas. Dr. B, a rehabilitation medicine specialist, recently sparked debate on his YouTube channel by stating, "Increasing the number of doctors only prolongs the painful lives of the elderly." Dr. B said, "Many people say we need more doctors because of rapid aging, but they don’t understand how humans age and die."

He added, "What is needed to live a dignified life in old age is not doctors but caregivers," emphasizing, "More doctors only extend a painful life." While many agreed with Dr. B’s comments, some netizens criticized him, saying, "Doctors are needed even in nursing hospitals," and "Are elderly people not human?"