PARLIAMENT Dress codes once again became the heated topic in the Dewan Rakyat today when Teo Nie Ching (DAP-Kulai) urged the Health Ministry to instruct public hospitals and clinics to give treatment regardless of what the patient and family members wore.

Speaking during the debate on Budget 2016 at the committee stage, Teo raised incidents of female visitors and patients not being allowed to enter hospitals or being refused treatment by the authorities.

She urged the ministry to issue a memorandum to convey the government's stand that all patients would be treated regardles of how they dress.

It was previously reported that a two-year-old boy was allegedly denied treatment at two government clinics and a hospital in Kulai because his mother and aunt were wearing pants that were deemed too short.

Nik Mazian Nik Mohamad (PAS-Pasir Puteh) interjected Teo and asked whether the girls would portray Eastern values if they were clad in shortpants.

"We have to take care of our Eastern values. (I wonder) if a girl clad in shortpants is portraying the nature of the East? If not, then (she is portraying) indecent Western values in the eyes of the community," he said.

"If she goes to a hospital, public places or any other place, she would attract attention. This would show that she cares less of Eastern values," he claimed.

To this, Teo replied: "Who said that a girl in shortpants does not reflect Eastern values? We live in a tropical country. In my constituency and village, girls go out wearing shortpants.”

Normala Abdul Samad (BN-Pasir Gudang) said she agreed that the hospital should not turn away female patients or family members in an emergency situation.

She, however, claimed that reports of sexual assaults could be avoided if girl dressed decently.

Easily resolved

"At present, we are busy dealing with the sexual harassment cases. I have seen (girls) wearing super shortpants. If a male doctor touched (her) accidentally and (she) makes an issue out of it, then how?

"We dress as such (decently) to prevent possible problems," said Normala.

Teo said the problem could be avoided if nurses were present when doctors examined female patients.

"What you have raised can be resolved easily. We can have nurses (to accompany) doctors to prevent (untoward incidents)," said Teo.

"There is no need (for you) to say that we should force them to dress in a certain way just to avoid sexual harassment," she said.

"Yes, we can encourage them to wear decently but the health of the patients should not be ignored," she added.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Azalina Othman Said said the government frontline staff will not turn away members of the public even if they are not "appropriately dressed".

Previously, there was a public uproar after several government agencies turned away people, mostly women, who were allegedly inappropriately dressed.

This included incidents where women wearing skirts which ended just above the knees being made to wear a sarong before they were let into government facilities.

'Dress appropriately'

In winding up the Budget 2016 debate, Health Minister S Subramaniam urged the public to "dress as appropriately as possible".

"We hope the patients dress as appropriately as possible when they go to hospital," he said.

However, he said, public clinics have been instructed not turn away patients in an emergency situation or treat them differently.

He said the ministry was looking into complaints made over patients' or family members' dressing.