Woman, upset over being surrounded by medical students while giving birth, sparks debate on patient dignity

MALAYSIA: A Malaysian woman’s Facebook post has gone viral after she shared that when she gave birth to her first child, a group of medical students entered the delivery room to observe the process.

She claimed the students stood around her bedside, watching, asking questions, and taking notes, leaving her feeling humiliated and overwhelmed.

She described being in severe pain and physically exposed during contractions when the students gathered around. “Some students just stared at me, some asked questions, and some were busy taking notes… I felt anxious, distracted, and shy,” she wrote.

Unable to contain her emotions during a particularly painful contraction, she finally cried out, “Why are so many people watching me give birth?” Her outburst reportedly stunned the room into silence.

The woman said the emotional distress of the incident led her to choose a private hospital for the birth of her second child.

She said that her decision was not out of pride or to “show off” but to protect her dignity and maintain a sense of calm during such a vulnerable time.

While she understood the importance of training for medical students, she felt that it was “very disrespectful” to treat women in labour as public teaching subjects.

Netizens shared similar experiences, with one commenter describing the ordeal as being treated like a “guinea pig.”

Others recounted being repeatedly examined by different students, leading to physical injury such as tearing and bleeding. Several commenters also criticised the competence of some medical trainees, alleging that a few “did not even know how to give injections.”