A private hospital has confirmed that its dress code does not allow its nurses to wear long-sleeved uniforms.

Damai Service Hospital (Melawati) however said Naziah Sauni Samat was not sacked because she insisted on wearing long-sleeves but was instead fired due to disciplinary problems.

The hospital’s finance and administration manager Regina Sundram said Naziah did not come to work for two days consecutively without providing any reason for her absence.

“She was not sacked for wearing a long-sleeved uniform,” Regina told Malaysiakini .

“She did not tell the administration that she would be absent. As such, we consider her services as being automatically terminated,” she said, citing the Employment Act.

Naziah, at a press conference at the Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association (PPIM) office yesterday, said the hospital management wanted her to don short-sleeves to work and that her employment was terminated following her refusal to do that.

Prior to her dismissal, Naziah said the hospital did not state that long-sleeved uniforms were not allowed.

According to her, she was only told that she needed to wear a white uniform, tudung (headscarf), shoes and socks.

‘Short sleeves can prevent infection’

Meanwhile, Regina said the hospital - which started its operations in 1989 - has existing guidelines which state that non-Muslim nurses must wear long pants and short sleeves to work while Muslim nurses must similarly wear long pants, short sleeves and a small scarf (anak tudung).

Regina said the hospital did not go against any law set by the Health Ministry in enforcing the guidelines.

“Short sleeves will prevent bacterial infection and make things easier for nurses to do their tasks,” she said.

She added that the hospital had given Naziah the opportunity to decide whether to continue working there or otherwise.

However, Naziah came to work wearing arm sleeves (stokin lengan) and had therefore gone against the hospital's dress code.

Regina also denied charges of racism and religious bias over the issue and stressed that Naziah should have understood the hospital’s regulations.

“Don’t raise the issue of racism… Naziah had tried to do that previously,” she said.

The private hospital had earlier lodged a police report against PPIM.

According to the police report, PPIM went to Damai Service Hospital last month and had tried to threaten the hospital with charges of racism for not allowing Naziah to wear long sleeves.