A scene in Desperate Housewives that disparaged medical education in the Philippines has created an international uproar.

ABC apologized after fielding thousands of angry calls over a punchline in Sunday night's season premiere of the show.

Actress Teri Hatcher, shown earlier in 2007, has put her foot in her mouth again in the role of Susan on Desperate Housewives.
(Chris Pizzello/Associated Press)

Desperate housewife Susan, played by Teri Hatcher, goes for a medical checkup and is shocked when the doctor suggests she may be starting menopause.

"Listen, Susan, I know for a lot of women the word 'menopause' has negative connotations. You hear 'aging,' 'brittle bones,' 'loss of sexual desire,'" the gynecologist tells her.

Susan, known for her pratfalls and verbal gaffes, replies: "OK, before we go any further, can I check these diplomas? Just to make sure they aren't, like, from some med school in the Philippines?"

ABC said it didn't know how many complaints came in by telephone, but an online petition demanding an apology has more than 30,000 names.

There are thousands of Filipinos in the U.S. medical system, from surgeons to nurses to orderlies.

Among those who complained was the Filipino consul in Los Angeles, Mary Jo Bernardo Aragon, who pointed out that the U.S. recognizes the students of Filipino medical and nursing schools and demands no additional training.

In the Philippines, the Desperate Housewives gaffe is the top of the news and executive secretary Eduardo Ermita has urged Filipino organizations to call attention to the "racial slur."

Asked whether the government would seek an apology, he said: "Yes, I think we should, on behalf of our Filipino professionals."

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said he was writing the producers of the show to seek an apology and amid "vehement protest" against the incident in the Philippines.

The online petition was started by Kevin Nadal, 29, a Filipino-American college lecturer who lives in New York.

He said he was so flabbergasted by the slur he had to rewind it and watch it again to make sure he'd heard it right

"I was immediately offended and, really, just hurt. These days, people are supposed to be more sensitive or more aware of what's considered appropriate," he said.

ABC responded with a statement Wednesday.

"The producers of Desperate Housewives and ABC Studios offer our sincere apologies for any offence caused by the brief reference in the season premiere. There was no intent to disparage the integrity of any aspect of the medical community in the Philippines," the statement said.

But Nadal said the apology doesn't go far enough. He wants to see the dialogue removed from future airings and DVDs of that episode.

Three Filipino senators have gone further, demanding a boycott of the show.

With files from the Associated Press