Male doctor dismissed woman's account of what a female doctor found in her ear. 5 minutes later, he admitted his camera found the exact same thing
Instead of listening to her, the male doctor bombarded her with questions...
People visit doctors to voice out their worries and questions about their health. But not all medical professionals are willing to listen to their patients. Dr. Faye Bate (@drfayebate), a women's health professional, interviewed a woman on the street and asked whether a medic had ever dismissed her. The woman shared an incredibly heartbreaking incident that made her feel that "women's testimony just doesn't seem to be believed." The video was shared on October 24, 2026, and it has since received over 640,000 views on Instagram.
Dismissed before diagnosis
The woman once visited a female doctor for an ear problem. The doctor used a camera to check what was wrong. "She was very thorough, but the issue was still there," she explained, and because the NHS (National Health Service) took forever, she went to see another doctor. This time, she met a male doctor and explained her ear problem. She said that the previous doctor used a camera and she saw "X, Y, and Z." Instead of listening to her, he bombarded her with questions: "Who did that? What camera did she use? What screen did you look at? I can't see anything."
The woman said he made her feel like she was lying about her issue and what the previous doctor had found. However, he wasn't even using a camera to inspect her ear. But when he actually took out his camera to examine her. She said, "[He] looked and then saw the exact same thing that I was saying that there was that he couldn't see with his naked eye." She concluded by saying that doctors dismiss "women's testimonies" quite often.
It's not just her
Unfortunately, this is not a one-time thing. A 2022 KFF Women's Health Survey (by Michelle Long, Brittni Frederiksen, Usha Ranji, Karen Diep, and Alina Salganicoff) found that 29% of women reported their doctors dismissed their concerns, while 15% said that the medical practitioner refused to believe they were telling the truth. The report also revealed that women (38%) had more negative experiences with a health care provider compared to men (32%). This was the exact same case for the woman. Her previous doctor had found her problem, but the male doctor refused to acknowledge it based on her word alone. He made it sound like she made it up because he couldn't see it with his naked eye.
'Bring your man'
Sadly, several women in the comments also shared similar experiences while seeking medical help. For example, @claire_conolly asked, "If you bring a man to your appointment, will they take us seriously by just being in the room?" @vperi96 wrote, "Unfortunately, it's much better to visit the doctor's accompanied by your man."
You can follow Dr Faye Bate (@drfayebate) on Instagram for more women's health-related content.
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