Editor’s note: MCA has stressed on the need to let common sense prevail instead of prioritising dress code during medical emergencies.
“In emergency situations, especially in cases where someone’s life could be in danger, it would be illogical to turn away the said person for not meeting the dress code requirements,” said MCA spokesperson Saw Yee Fung.
“Considering that such cases continue to happen, the government should issue a clear directive for all government agencies, that emergency situations supersede dress code requirements.”
Meanwhile, MCA also noted that Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has assured that “this (issue) shouldn’t happen in health facilities” besides announcing that an investigation will be carried and if true, action will be taken.
LAST Sunday (Feb 12), Damien Chen and his friend were playing badminton at 11pm when the girlfriend of Chen’s friend who was watching from the sidelines collapsed from severe stomach pains.
When Chen arrived at the Kampar Hospital, he was filling up his friend’s girlfriend information when the medical assistant attending to them pointed out to Chen’s friend that it was inappropriate for a woman to wear shorts, according to the China Press which depicted a chronology of the incident.
She was then ordered to change into longer pants before entering the emergency room. With little option left, this prompted Chen to leave the hospital to retrieve a pair of long pants for his friend’s girlfriend to put on.
Later, Chen questioned the medical assistant during his friend’s admission to the emergency room about why the girlfriend of his friend couldn’t see a doctor in shorts. The female medical assistant replied that it was the hospital’s rules that patients needed to be dressed “appropriately”.
As Chen and his other friend weren’t satisfied with the medical assistant’s response, they kept probing her. Eventually, she allegedly lost her cool and yelled that Chen and his friends were “uneducated” and told them to leave the hospital grounds.
Taking this matter to Twitterverse, netizens were enraged by this situation.
Please go to bed wearing long pants and long-sleeve shirt in Malaysia.
Just in case you get a heart attack in the middle of the night, you better be appropriately dressed to get treatment.#FashionMatters#SoStupid pic.twitter.com/WzgF4jzQZD— Dr Thanussha 🏴🇲🇾 (@DrThanussha) February 14, 2023
User @aishatraphobia shared a horrific experience on behalf of her colleague:
my colleague told me her water broke in the middle of the night, so she and her husband rush to the emergency. Instead of asking about her condition, the nurse bebel about her wearing a pyjama (short pants) to the hospital lol. https://t.co/So8mNABzyF
— ice (@aishastraphobia) February 15, 2023
User @kulfactor2 urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to look into this issue:
This is most unfortunate. And a very scary trend emerging in our country. I have been to Kampar hospital countless times, for my parents’ inpatient & outpatient treatment. I have a high regard for staff there, so this news is rather troubling. @anwaribrahim do something – soon?
— kulfactor (@kulfactor2) February 14, 2023
Meanwhile, user @MattPhoon said:
Waiting for @Zaliha_DrZ to give clarity on this.
Given its consider new news, lets wait abit.
Menahan diri to not jump into conclusion 😅— The Madd One 🏴 (@MattPhoon) February 14, 2023
(Waiting for @Zaliha_DrZ to give clarity on this. Given its consider new news, let’s wait a bit. Restraining myself from jumping to conclusions.)
While on Monday (Feb 13), Perak health committee chairman A. Sivanesan released a statement that he is not happy with the response from the hospital. — Feb 15, 2023
Main photo credit: Facebook
