February 16, 2023
PETALING JAYA – Everyone has the right to healthcare regardless of what they are wearing, says Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
The Health Minister said this in response to the recent incident where a woman was denied treatment at Hospital Kampar for wearing shorts.
“I would like to emphasise that, in principle, every patient should be given treatment regardless of race, ethnicity or dress code.
“Every medical practitioner needs to maintain their ethics after taking the Hippocratic Oath.
“The Hippocratic Oath pledged by doctors and medical practitioners includes the willingness to help patients as best as possible,” she said in a statement posted on her Twitter account on Wednesday (Feb 15).
Dr Zaliha was referring to a case in Hospital Kampar where a woman claimed that she was scolded for “indecently dressed” while seeking treatment there.
According to the hospital director Dr Khairul Azha Azam, the hospital has reprimanded the officer involved in the kerfuffle over dressing, and action has been taken to ensure that similar incidents would not recur.
He also said that the hospital has never given out orders or denied any patients from receiving treatment based on the way they dressed.
The incident involving a woman in her 20s has gone viral on social media where there were also calls for the public health system not to discriminate against patients based on the way they dressed.
Merujuk laporan berita berhubung kejadian melibatkan seorang wanita berseluar pendek dihalang masuk ke Hospital Kampar, Perak
Saya ingin menegaskan, secara prinsipnya setiap pesakit wajar diberi keutamaan rawatan tanpa mengira kaum, bangsa mahupun kod etika pakaian.
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— Dr Zaliha Mustafa (@DrZalihaMustafa) February 15, 2023