THE All Women’s Action Society (Awam) would like to respond to the Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye’s statement reported in a local English daily that when conducting physical examinations on their patients, doctors are not required to seek consent before touching them except during examinations that are deemed to be invasive, such as a vaginal or rectal examination.
While Dr Lee’s statement does fall under implied consent where the patient’s permission is presumed without a formal agreement with the healthcare provider, Awam would like to stress on the importance of informed consent in the medical field, especially in light of the recent allegations by a patient claiming that she was sexually harassed by her dermatologist, who allegedly touched her inappropriately without prior permission.
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