Malaysian woman allegedly racially insulted for wearing shorts at Johor hospital, guard apologises for incident
She also expressed how uncomfortable she was that she needed to make the incident public.
A woman who was allegedly berated and racially insulted at a local hospital in Johor on Wednesday (20 March) for wearing shorts took to social media to voice her displeasure.
Carol Yong wrote on X (formally Twitter) about how a doctor urgently needed to see her over a matter, but she was stopped by one of the security guards who insisted that she covered her legs before entering the hospital’s ward.
“Hey @DrDzul @KKMPutrajaya @HRHJohorII I’m wondering why guards at Hospital Sultanah Aminah Blok D refused me entry on the basis of me wearing shorts (skimming the knee) despite me making it clear the docs were requesting my immediate presence? I thought we settled this?” she wrote while tagging the Health Ministry of Malaysia (MOH) and Johor’s Crown Prince, Tunku Ismail Ibrahim.
According to Yong, a guard had yelled and her and said that it was a government hospital. She had allegedly told him that it was an urgent matter and the doctor was looking for her.
"But nope, no entry until the nurses gave me a pair of patient pants," Yong wrote, adding that the guard had allegedly hurled a racist insult against Chinese and Indians.
Yong also expressed how uncomfortable she was that she needed to make the incident public as it revealed her location.
“I absolutely despise that I have to take this public — it reveals my location and I don’t like that. How much longer are we gonna fight over ‘attire’ at hospitals? Tak letih ke? And the racism? Acceptable? When are we gonna resolve this?” she said, adding that the security guard could have addressed the situation in a more respectful manner.
She also alleged that the guard kept "coming up to hover" and to "check", and once her medical discussion was over, he had told her to leave.
"I don’t know if this is a hospital security guard or a prison warden. Seems like the same,” she wrote.
Hospital in touch with woman, guard apologised
Later in the day, Yong updated the social media post and said the hospital had resolved the issue with her.
She added that the guard had acknowledged what he had said and done and apologised, as did the hospital.
Yong added that she acknowledged the apology, and thanked both the guard and hospital for their prompt action.
Is there a dress code for hospitals in Malaysia?
While hospitals are allowed to have dress codes, it is not mandatory and merely serves as a guideline.
This matter has also been clarified by the former Health Director-General Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah last year, who stated that MOH does not prescribe any dress code for members of the public or patients who come to receive treatment at government healthcare premises.
However, other government buildings may have different requirements.
In August last year, a woman in Perak was denied entry into a police station because she was wearing a skirt. To work her way around it, the woman had to use a carseat cushion cover to extend her skirt in order to be allowed in.
This is just one of many instances in 2023 where a woman was not allowed on government premises due to their outfit being deemed inappropriate.
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