MEMBERS of the public seeking medical care at government health facilities should not be turned away due to their attire, said Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
The Sekijang MP said she has taken note of the issue and viral incidents that had occurred in the recent weeks, and wished to state that in principle, every patient “must be treated irrespective of race or ethnicity, including dress code ethics”.
Dr Zaliha said this in response to a follow-up question from Balik Pulau MP Datuk Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik in the Dewan Rakyat.
Following a recent incident where a woman was reprimanded for her attire while seeking emergency treatment at a government hospital, Muhammad wanted to know the ministry’s viewpoint on the dress code.
On Feb 12, a medical professional supposedly told a woman off for being “indecently dressed” while seeking treatment at the Kampar Hospital.
Several other recent events have taken place in which citizens were told off when seeking assistance at government offices as well.
Dr Zaliha went on to remind doctors and medical personnel that they were bound by oath to assist those seeking medical attention.
“Every medical practitioner and personnel must uphold ethics. They had taken the Hippocratic oath, especially doctors, to provide the best medical care possible,” she added.
Dr Zaliha mentioned that the incident at Kampar Hospital was most likely caused by a miscommunication.
She stated that the ministry would usually take immediate action in response to complaints in order to prevent it from happening again.
Dr Zaliha was responding to an incident on Feb 12 where a woman had gone to seek treatment at the Kampar Hospital but was allegedly told to go home and change her clothes by an officer on duty because she was wearing shorts.
In response to an inquiry from Kapar MP Dr Halimah Ali, Dr Zaliha advised her to file a report with the ministry so that action could be taken.
Dr Halimah claimed that her constituents had lately complained about being denied treatment at a health clinic in Pandamaran, Klang.
She claimed they were turned down because they were from a different electoral area. – March 16, 2023
Main pic credit: FMT
