14 DAY TRIAL // Although it’s a known fact that, at times, positive criticism works wonders, a surgeon in New Zealand took this one step too far, literally swearing at one of his overweight patients and even refusing to treat her. The surgeon, whose identity has not been made public, lost his temper when the woman told him that she preferred the term “lifestyle” to that of “diet,” NineMSN informs.
“A potty-mouthed surgeon who told an obese patient she was ‘going on a [expletive]ing diet’ has been reprimanded over his actions. When the patient, a 44-year-old New Zealander, complained about his language he took her off the waiting list for a gastric banding operation. The patient asked the doctor to use the word ‘lifestyle’ instead of diet before he retorted that she was ‘bull[expletive]ing’ herself and was ‘going on a [expletive]ing diet’,” the aforementioned publication writes.
Apparently, the patient, a 44-year-old woman who also refused to have her name made public, was very sensitive about someone, even a physician, referring to her diet as such, and would rather they used the term “lifestyle.” The surgeon in question, though, did not care for such particularities and lost his temper, lashing out at the woman for making that demand. Moreover, he even crossed her off a waiting list for bypass surgery when she filed a complaint against him for the language he used.
“The doctor allegedly used the word ‘f[expletive]’ at least three times during the consultation. The Health and Disability Commissioner Ron Paterson found the gastro-intestinal surgeon breached the patient’s code of rights and showed no understanding of the vulnerability of his gastric bypass patient, according to media reports. He told reporters: ‘He [the doctor] showed disrespect for a patient who understandably felt embarrassed about her obesity’. Mr. Paterson recommended the doctor undertake a course in communication skills,” the same publication further says.
As per the aforementioned source, there is no mention in the media of the weight of the woman but it would seem she’s listed with a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 68, which would mean she’s over 180 kg, granted she’s of normal weight.