Stab-resistant doctors’ coats inspired by the armored scales of the endangered pangolin are being sold on China’s online marketplace Taobao following attacks on medical staff by patients’ families.

The garment, costing up to 1,839 yuan (US$269), can “reduce damage caused by choppers, daggers, fruit knives and Swiss Army knives,” according to promotional material on Taobao.

The coat is made from a fabric developed by Shanghai Sturdyarmor and the city’s Donghua University, Chinese media The Paper reported. The invention was inspired by the scales of pangolins, which are protective but not movement-limiting, a member of Sturdyarmor’s management team told The Paper.

The staffer, surnamed Zhu, added that the coat was breathable and comfortable to wear close to skin.

More than 100 coats have been sold, as shown on the shop’s Taobao page. Buyers said they looked just like regular laboratory coats.

“It is very suitable for us doctors,” one buyer wrote.

“Grumpy people are difficult to avoid. They shout at us over small things. Threats are a part of our daily lives. I hope this coat will offer some protection.”

Abuse of medical staff in mainland China is regularly reported by the media. A doctor in Beijing was stabbed to death in December following a row with the relatives of a stroke victim.

The lack of an effective complaint mechanism in the Chinese medical system is one cause of the attacks, China watcher Johnny Lau said.

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