Experts: Healthcare providers have the right to deny non-emergency care
KUALA LUMPUR: Hospitals have the right to refuse non-emergency treatment to abusive or disruptive patients, health experts say.
Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh said that while patients have rights, healthcare workers are equally entitled to a safe working environment.
“When there is disruptive behaviour, we can stop treatment, provided it is not an emergency,” he said at the Hospital Staff and Patient Safety Conference yesterday.
Dr Kuljit cited verbal abuse, bullying, mobbing, physical violence and workplace sexual misconduct as common issues.
“Sometimes patients can be physically abusive towards a healthcare provider,” he said.
“We are training healthcare workers across both public and private sectors to manage these situations.”
He noted that private hospitals maintain dedicated protocols to handle disruptive behaviour, with trained customer relations personnel stepping in when situations escalate beyond frontline management.
“A hospital is not a hotel or a hospitality space,” Dr Kuljit said.
“People arrive with anxiety and the psychological stress of being unwell. These factors can sometimes trigger misconduct or violence towards healthcare providers.”
He stressed that patient dissatisfaction should be raised through proper channels rather than threats.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Health Medical Development Division director Dr Nor Hayati Ibrahim identified verbal abuse as the most common issue in government hospitals, often triggered by long waiting times.
She noted that reported abusive incidents remained static, though some cases likely go unreported.
Australian emergency physician Dr Charley Greentree said hospitals should emphasise prevention, risk awareness and verbal de-escalation when training healthcare workers to handle potentially violent situations.
She said staff should be taught language skills and compassion needed to calm angry patients before situations escalate.
“But we also have to draw a line. If it escalates and there is a physical threat or danger, that is not tolerated in the workplace, even in healthcare,” she noted.
Greentree said protecting staff was directly linked to protecting patients.
