JOHOR BARU: Visitors and patients at the Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA) have expressed concerns after a woman claiming to be hearing impaired was spotted asking for donations.
The woman was seen approaching patients at several specialist departments, including the obstetrics and gynecology department.
According to a patient who only wanted to be known as Suri, the woman showed her a laminated hand-written card that read: “I am deaf and would appreciate it if you could give me some donations.”
“I was waiting for my pregnancy check-up in early November when the woman came to me with the card.
“The woman, who wore a face mask, then pointed to her ear and mouth. I suppose she wanted to signal that she had speech and hearing impairments.
“I refused to give her any money because I thought that it was inappropriate for her to ask for donations at a hospital,” said the 36-year-old, adding that the woman then moved on to other patients in the waiting area.
Beautician Amanda Yap, 29, said she spotted the woman asking for donations at the general surgery, which was next to the obstetrics and gynecology department.
Despite having visited HSA numerous times, she said it was her first time coming across someone who asked for donations at a public hospital.
“I have been accompanying my father to the hospital for his medical check-ups and I was surprised to see the woman going around asking for money.
“I noticed that most of the people she approached refused to give her money. We did not give in either,” she said, adding that the hospital should put up a signage to stop people from asking for donations.
Johor health and unity committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said he has informed the HSA director to look out for such activities.
“So far, we have not received any complaint about a woman asking for donations but we will be on the lookout for her.
“There is an unspoken rule that people should not ask for donations at a public health facility such as HSA, one of the busiest public hospitals in the country.
“Members of the public are also advised to inform any healthcare staff at the hospital should they come across such activities as it is a disturbance and causes discomfort among the patients,” said Ling.
