While wearing the appropriate clothing for the right occasions is important, there are times where we should ignore this entire clothing matter and focus on the emergency we are currently facing.
Recently, a Twitter user @elizanathaniel took to her Twitter account to share how she was being denied entry to see her father in the Selayang Hospital emergency ward just because the security guard deemed her attire inappropriate.
“Amoi! Why did you wear a skirt? Quickly la, amoi!” the guard allegedly called out to Eliza.
In the series of tweet, Eliza shared a photo of what she was wearing, showing the black shift shapeless dress with sleeves that stopped just above the knee. She then questioned if she even needs to think about what to wear when her father is in the emergency ward.
Eliza point out that there were other visitors who wore shorter shorts than her but they weren’t stopped.
She continue saying that what if it was the last time she could see her father but she was denied just because someone else didn’t agree with what she wore.
Netizens expressed their anger towards the guard and said a lot of staff in the public service followed the rules blindly without using their critical thinking skills.
Some netizens shared who they were advised by the nurse to wear appropriate clothing as they wore shorts for a wound dressing appointment.
The incident caught the All Womens’ Action Society (AWAM) attention and it had criticised the dressing policy and said it was a violation of basic healthcare access. It also pointed out that the Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has clarified in 2015 that dress codes were just guidelines.
Jabatan Keselamatan Hospital Selayang telah mengambil tindakan penambahbaikan dgn memberi teguran kpd pengawal keselamatan tersebut agar mengamalkan tatacara komunikasi yg sesuai ketika berurusan bersama pesakit mahupun waris agar perkara yang sama tidak berulang di masa hadapan.
— Noor Hisham Abdullah (@DGHisham) March 18, 2022
In response to the incident, Dr Noor Hisham said the hospital security personnel has been reprimanded. He said the guard had been told to practice ‘appropriate communication’ when dealing with patients and their next-of-kin.
Meanwhile, Eliza said she may remove the Twitter thread soon as action has already been taken and was deemed resolved.
What do you think about this ‘appropriate’ clothing policy implemented in the public service? Share your thoughts!
