A social media influencer has issued a public apology after facing intense backlash for posing as a medical doctor and attempting to stitch a competitor’s facial wound at a Muay Thai event. The controversy erupted when the Facebook page Aggressive Not Doctor shared clips and images of Ms. Hathairat Na Chiang Mai, known as “Pinhathai,” acting as a ringside medic.
The incident sparked debate across social media platforms, with users questioning the influencer’s medical credentials and expressing concern about the potential dangers of unqualified individuals performing medical procedures. Many netizens raised serious doubts about whether she had the proper training to safely treat injuries, particularly in an unsanitary environment outside a medical facility.
On September 12, 2025, Pinhathai addressed the mounting criticism through a detailed Facebook post, acknowledging her mistakes and clarifying her actual qualifications. She revealed that she holds a degree in Applied Thai Traditional Medicine from the Faculty of Public Health, not conventional medical training.
“Stitching a boxer’s facial wound — especially outside a proper medical facility — was inappropriate,” she admitted in her statement, accepting full responsibility for her actions and promising not to repeat such behavior.
The influencer explained that while her traditional medicine education included basic wound-stitching techniques, she emphasized that such procedures should only be performed under the direct supervision of licensed doctors or nurses.
Perhaps most significantly, Pinhathai acknowledged that presenting herself as a “doctor” was careless and misleading. She explained that she had adopted the title because local community members often referred to her that way, but recognized this created dangerous confusion about her actual qualifications.
The social media response was swift and unforgiving. Comments poured in from users expressing disbelief and concern about the incident. One commenter criticized her technique, while another questioned whether she was even registered with the Thai Medical Council. A user identifying as a police officer expressed frustration with the situation, and medical professionals voiced particular outrage at the breach of professional boundaries.
“Doctors nowadays can’t end. I want to be a doctor, want to treat patients, want to stitch wounds, why don’t you go to school?” one critic wrote, highlighting the sentiment that proper medical training cannot be bypassed or substituted.
Others focused on basic safety protocols that appeared to be ignored during the procedure, including concerns about sterile conditions and proper protective equipment.
Moving forward, Pinhathai has committed to significant changes in how she presents herself professionally. She pledged to identify herself exclusively as a practitioner of Applied Thai Traditional Medicine and promised to correct anyone who mistakenly addresses her as a doctor.
To prevent future misunderstandings, she has updated her social media profiles across all platforms to clearly state her actual credentials as a traditional medicine practitioner rather than allowing the doctor designation to persist.
