Patient allegedly caressed thigh, buttocks of dentist

MELAKA: A 49-year-old patient allegedly caressed the left thigh and buttocks of a female dentist at a government dental clinic in Merlimau here.

The patient claimed that during the process of extracting his tooth, he grabbed the 23-year-old doctor, apparently out of "motherly affection", to overcome his excruciating pain.

The dentist was alone attending to the patient on Tuesday (Dec 12) while her nurse was away to answer nature's call at the time of the incident.

Melaka Health, Sport Development and Anti-Drugs deputy committee chairman Datuk Ng Choon Koon said the dentist had lodged a police report on Wednesday (Dec 13) at the Merlimau police station.

“This is another case at a government hospital where there was no accompanying nurse when the alleged incident occurred.

“The state Health Department is also investigating the incident, apart from the police’s probe under Section 354 of the Penal Code for using criminal force on a person with intent to outrage modesty,” he said when contacted on Friday (Dec 15).

“We have to safeguard the interests of both doctor and patient, hence there must be medical assistants to be around when conducting medical checks,” he said.

On Sept 3, a 26-year-old doctor alleged she was molested by a male patient while conducting cardiac test on him behind the screen at the Melaka Hospital.

The female doctor claimed she was sexually abused by the 37-year-old patient at the emergency unit of the hospital at about 7.30pm on that day.