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A 21-year-old Malaysian woman was turned away from entering the emergency room at Kampar Hospital, Perak, because she was wearing shorts, Nanyang Siang Pao reported.
This is not the first time in recent weeks that a woman was denied entry from an official establishment because she was wearing inappropriate attire in Malaysia, with a similar previous incident occurring at a police station.
Relaxation to dress code was not given during a medical emergency
The 21-year-old woman was said to be in severe stomach pain which affected her ability to walk.
Damien Chan, a friend of the woman's boyfriend, told Nanyang Siang Pao that the incident occurred in the wee hours of the morning of Feb. 13.
The night prior, Damien and his friend were playing badminton while the 21-year-old was watching them from the sidelines. She started to complain of stomach pain, and they quickly drove her to the hospital.
"However, after filling out the required information at the counter, a medical assistant pointed out that it was impolite for the female victim to wear shorts, and that she had to change into long pants before entering,” Damien said.
“In desperation, I had no choice but to drive back to the school hostel and get a pair of long pants for her. It was only then she [was] allowed to go into the emergency room.”
Accused of lacking in manners
Damien's friend later asked the medical assistant why his girlfriend could not wear shorts to see a doctor, to which the latter replied it was the hospital's rule.
The medical assistant drove Damien and his friend away after his friend continued to ask questions. They were accused of being uneducated and not having manners.
Damien and his friends have since sent a formal complaint to Kampar Hospital to express their dissatisfaction.
As for the female victim's condition, Damien said that she was diagnosed with menstrual cramps and high blood pressure. She was allowed to leave the hospital at 3am.
The incident has since circulated on Facebook, causing heated discussion among netizens.
Kampar Hospital denied turning away patients for dress code
However, Kampar Hospital has denied that it turned away patients for not complying with its dress code.
In a statement, hospital director Khairul Azha Azam, said that every patient seeking treatment will be attended to regardless of circumstances, especially during emergencies.
"In regards to the social media post that went viral on Feb. 13, preliminary reports found that the young Chinese woman in her early 20s entered the hospital around midnight. She was examined by the officer on duty and found to be in stable condition.
She was reprimanded by the officer for wearing shorts. The officer on duty brought her clothes and a hospital gown to wear temporarily. But before the clothes could be given, the patient left the emergency room and said she will be treated in a private hospital instead.
But at roughly 1am, the patient returned accompanied by her friends. She received treatment from the officer on duty and was allowed to return home.
The hospital has reprimanded the officer involved in the incident to ensure that this does not happen again. Kampar Hospital never gave the order or denied patients who did not adhere to our dress code."
"Every patient should be given treatment"
Malaysia's Health Minister Zaliha Mustafa expressed her opinion regarding the issue on Wednesday.
"I would like to emphasise that, in principle, every patient should be given treatment regardless of race, ethnicity or dress code," she said in a tweet.
"Every medical practitioner needs to maintain their ethics after taking the Hippocratic Oath. The Hippocratic Oath pledged by doctors and medical practitioners include the willingness to help patients as best as possible."
Denied entry from the police station
Just two weeks prior to the hospital incident, another woman was denied entry from the Kajang police station in Selangor, near KL, because she was wearing shorts.
According to Free Malaysia Today (FMT), the woman was not allowed to enter the Kajang police station to lodge a police report following a car accident because she was wearing "shorts" on Jan. 30.
She said that the officer saw what she was wearing from a car window, and told her to leave unless she changed her clothes. She claimed to have worn bermudas that covered her knees at that point of time.
"It was ridiculous. How can they deny me the right to lodge a report unless I change my clothes?" she said.
The officer allegedly refused to listen to her argument and told her he did not care. He further added that even ministers would not be allowed entry if they were dressed inappropriately.
The woman was only allowed entry to the police station after she called her sister to bring a pair of long pants.
Relaxation to dress code will only be given in life or death situations
A few days after the incident, Malaysia's inspector general of police, Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani, stressed the importance of the public to uphold courtesy and morality when dealing with government offices.
"As I said, in the Rukun Negara, there is the 'Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan' (Courtesy and Morality) principle, and we must understand what that pillar means," Acryl said, according to The New Straits Times.
He said that government offices are places where businesses should be conducted in an orderly and polite manner.
Acyrl added that the Chief Secretary to the Government had given a directive on dress codes on government premises for the public.
"In that incident, I was made to understand that the woman was wearing shorts, showing her thighs," Acryl claimed. "The officer had asked her to change into something more modest. Maybe there was a misunderstanding between (her) and the police on duty,"
However, he said that exceptions could be made in an emergency.
"If it is a life or death situation, then we can give some relaxation (to the dress code)."
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