A 72-year-old man in Penang, Malaysia, was stopped from entering a public hospital because he was wearing shorts, according to local media.

According to the New Straits Times and The Star, Penang State Health Committee chairman Daniel Gooi said the hospital conducted a probe and found it was a "miscommunication" with the security personnel.

Barred from entering

Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported that the incident happened at the Seberang Jaya Hospital on Dec. 11, 2023.

Lim Thean Heng, 72, arrived at the hospital to visit his brother-in-law. He was wearing a T-shirt and shorts above his knees.

He claimed a security guard stopped him from entering the premises for wearing shorts.

"I asked the security guard what the problem was with wearing shorts. I was given no explanation and barred from entering," Lim told FMT.

The security guard pointed Lim to an infographic on the hospital's visitor dress code, which apparently barred shorts, singlets, short skirts and sleeveless tops.

Dress code based on Rukun Negara

Lim then went to the hospital's "complaints counter", where an officer told him he would allow Lim to enter at his own discretion "just this once".

Afterwards, Lim said he asked an officer-in-charge for the basis for the dress code.

Lim said he was told that the dress code was based on the Rukun Negara.

Under the Rukun Negara, citizens are encouraged to uphold "courtesy and morality", among other principles.

Lim claimed he was refused entry again on a separate occasion, when he was wearing shorts again, by the same security guard, even though he had been let through previously.

The security guard only allowed Lim to enter after a supervisor appeared.

Incident caused by misunderstanding and miscommunication

According to FMT, the director of Seberang Jaya Hospital Saiful Azlan Sharif said an investigation found that Lim was prevented from entering because of a "misunderstanding and miscommunication" between Lim and the security guard.

Saiful assured that the hospital would work with its security company to enhance training such that its officers would carry out their duties more professionally and communicate more effectively.

The hospital director added that the hospital's dress code had long been practised by government agencies and public hospitals.

Saiful said the dress code was implemented to ensure "harmony and well-being in line with the fifth principle of the Rukun Negara, which is courtesy and morality".

He claimed that similar conduct is also practised in government departments in Japan, United Kingdom, Australia and other Asean countries like Philippines and Thailand.

No one should be barred from healthcare facilities because of clothes

On Dec. 14, 2023, the Penang Government said that no one would be barred from entering healthcare facilities because of what they wear.

Penang Youth, Sports, and Health Committee Chairman Daniel Gooi said the incident was an "isolated" case and "regrettable".

"Further action will be taken to prevent this from recurring," Gooi told FMT.

Not the first time

This was not the first time someone had been denied entry to a hospital in Malaysia over their attire.

In March, a woman was barred from entering a Malaysian hospital due to a "misunderstanding" about the dress code.

She was wearing pants that ended below her knees.

The month before, a 21-year-old woman in Perak was turned away from entering the emergency room at Kampar Hospital because she was wearing shorts.

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Top image via Gathercare