TV audiences were left outraged after a teenage girl appeared on Channel 4's 24 Hours in A&E complaining of a broken finger nail.
Aaliyah, 16, from London, was filmed in the hospital waiting room alongside her mother and sister, nursing her “throbbing” finger.
The teenaged had been in a fight with a fellow pupil at her school, catching her false nail and partially ripping off the real nail underneath, which doctors then removed.
Turning to her mother, Mariah, the schoolgirl asked: “Can someone come and deal with my finger, I think I'm going to pass out.”
But viewers didn’t sympathise with her plight, with some accusing the 16-year-old of wasting hospital staff’s time.
One Twitter user wrote: “Oh for gods sake! It's a fingernail and you're wasting everybody's time by going to A&E. People need to re-evaluate what classes as an emergency.
While another commented: “WTF. SHE WAS FIGHTING AT SCHOOL AND BROKE HER NAIL.”
“It isn't a drop in for lazy idiots who can't be bothered either consulting a pharmacist or GP. No need to wonder why waiting times are so long,” tweeted another.
Mariah offered some consolation to her daughter, telling her: “Your finger does look a bit swollen actually.”
The teen said the injury had happened while fighting with someone at school, but admitted she regularly fought with her older sister Tia.
Their mother said: “My girls have their moments, their arguments...but most of the time they're there for each other,which is what being a sister is all about.”
She added: “Aaliyah loves the physical side of things.”
The family were eventually called in to see a doctor who said the nail would have to be removed to let a new nail to grow through, as it was “half coming off”.
She said she would numb the finger before removing the nail, warning the patient it might be a little painful.
Viewers were largely complimentary of the rest of the episode, which also focused on the specialist stroke team at St George's hospital.
One emotional Twitter user wrote: “Just watched 24 hours in A & E. Focus on stroke care. I've now had a massive cry because it has made me realise that I'm missing the job I love so much.”
“Watching 24 hours in A&E. Family is everything. An extension of the patient. Loved the stroke nurse specialist tonight. #amazingnurses.”
However, others’ enjoyment of the show were dampened by the teenager’s complaint.
“Watching 24 hours in A&E and there's a woman in the hospital because she broke her acrylic nail and it's taken a bit of her normal nail off. Are you kidding me?,” a viewer tweeted in dispair.
