Officer in Hospital Kampar dressing down incident reprimanded, says director

PETALING JAYA: Kampar Hospital has never given out orders or denied any patients from receiving treatment based on the way they dressed, says its director Dr Khairul Azha Azam.

He said the hospital has reprimanded the officer involved in the kerfuffle over dress codes, and action has been taken to ensure that similar incidents do not recur.

“All patients will be attended to in any situation, especially during emergencies.

“An announcement has been made to inform the hospital staff not to discriminate against patients based on the way they dressed,” he said in a statement on Wednesday (Feb 15).

In the 11pm incident on Sunday (Feb 12), a woman in her early 20s, arrived at the hospital's emergency unit seeking treatment, and her vitals were checked by a medical officer and found stable.

“The officer was reported to have said that the woman was wearing short pants, prompting the officer to get her a hospital gown.

"Before the officer managed to give the patient the gown, she had left the triage counter and informed other staff that she would seek treatment at a private clinic.

"At about 1am on Monday (Feb 13), she returned to the emergency unit accompanied by a friend. She then registered and sought treatment from a doctor and had been discharged," Dr Khairul added.

The issue has gone viral on social media and there were calls for the public health system not to discriminate against patients based on their dressing.