The alleged rape of a nurse at the nurses' dormitory of Kuala Lumpur Hospital (KLH) has activated a move to tighten security at all government hospitals.

Health Ministry parliamentary secretary Lee Kah Choon said this will begin at KLH where additional close-circuit television cameras will be installed and surveillance will be tightened.

More security personnel will be employed and automatic doors will be installed as well, he told a press conference today at the Parliament lobby.

Asked how much will be allocated, he said the ministry has yet to arrive at a quantum.

"We have to look at the hospitals nationwide. We must do it one by one," he said.

Press reports today said a 36 year-old nurse claimed she was raped by an intruder whose face was covered with a black substance, believed to be engine oil.

Balanced approach

Security at KLH has been questionable recently. Several thefts have occurred in the compound, and a pregnant doctor was robbed and assaulted in the doctors' call room on July 1. In March, a drug addict allegedly raped a nurse.

Lee said the ministry will have to take a balanced approach when security is tightened.

"In HKL, there are more than 7,000 personnel. Every day there are more than 10,000 patients and visitors. We have to make sure that the tight security will not cause them inconvenience," he explained.

He added that the government will provide support to the nurse and co-operate with the police in the investigations.

She said she was woken up by an intruder who broke into her room at 2am. Armed with a knife, he warned her not to make any noise, before tying her hands and gagging her.

He then took her to the rooftop of the three-storey building where he allegedly raped her and then fled. A security guard found her naked three hours later near a water tank.