PETALING JAYA: The Sungai Buloh Hospital has apologised over the incident of a woman who was allegedly barred from entering the compound because she was wearing shorts.
Hospital director Dr Khalid Ibrahim said it is neither the Health Ministry nor hospital’s policy to stop anybody from going into the hospital based on their attire.
“We apologise for the incident. It shouldn’t have happened. We do not bar any visitors from entering the hospital because of what they are wearing.
“However, we encourage the public to dress decently when visiting patients,” he told The Star when contacted on Tuesday.
Dr Khalid said there may have been some “miscommunication” involving the hospital guard, who allegedly barred the woman from entering the hospital.
“We have lodged a complaint with the security guard company about the guard in question,” he said.
Dr Khalid said after the guard stopped the woman from coming inside, she managed to get a towel to cover her legs.
Pictures of the woman donning on a towel around her waist in order to enter the hospital have gone viral on social media.
The woman was reportedly stopped by security at Sungai Buloh hospital visitor’s gate on June 16 for wearing shorts.
The woman’s father then borrowed a patient’s towel from one of the hospital wards and brought it back outside for the woman to wrap around herself.
The woman was allowed into the compound only after covering her knees with the borrowed towel.
PETALING JAYA: A third "sarong" incident has been making waves on the internet.
This time, a woman had to don a towel around her waist in order to enter a public hospital.
The woman was reportedly stopped by security at Sungai Buloh hospital visitor's gate on June 16 for wearing shorts.
The woman's father then borrowed a patient's towel from one of the hospital wards and brought it back outside for the woman to wrap around herself.
The woman was allowed into the compound only after covering her knees with the borrowed towel. It is believed that when questioned, the guards answered that the ruling was an instruction from the Health Ministry.
Among the images circulated was one of the woman wearing a yellow towel standing in front of a sign which listed the hospital dress code. Among the prohibited items of clothing are sleeveless tank tops, short shorts or short skirts. Long pants are allowed. The dress codes for both men and women are also available on the hospital's website.
On Monday, two women, a journalist and Selangor resident, were forced to wear sarongs to enter the Selangor State Secretariat building.
In another incident on June 8, a woman was denied entry into the Gombak Road Transport Department (JPJ) office for wearing a skirt above her knee and was asked to wear a sarong for service.