Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung took to social media to express his views on the incident where a woman allegedly verbally abused a nurse at Singapore General Hospital (SGH).
Videos of the woman's arguments with a police officer at the SGH had earlier emerged on TikTok.
In an Instagram post uploaded on Oct. 13, Ong said he was "disturbed" by the incident after watching the video and reading SGH's statement and media reports.
"Earlier this year, we announced a zero-tolerance policy against the abuse and harassment, verbal or physical, of HCWs (healthcare workers)," he wrote.
"The alleged behaviour and actions of the patient are exactly what we need to protect HCWs against."
He also thanked the police officers at the scene for being "firm and calm" and for being with the HCWs when they needed them.
In addition, Ong said that he was "very glad that SGH has put out a clear statement very quickly".
He ended his post by emphasising the need to respect healthcare workers.
"We need to take a clear stand: healthcare workers deserve to be treated with respect. This must be a consistent stand by all of us."
Woman charged in court
The woman, Han Feizi, 29, was charged in court on Oct. 13, 2023, with a total of six charges, including public nuisance, using abusive language against a public service worker or public servant, harassment, and assaulting a security officer.
According to media reports, she said she intends to plead guilty and apologised for the incident.
Top photos from Ong Ye Kung's Instagram and SGH Facebook