Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has stressed the ministry is committed to providing healthcare services to everyone without prejudice.
This follows a Facebook posting about the LGBT community by a purported doctor, which had gone viral.
“The Health Ministry acknowledges the doctor who expressed her opinion about the LGBT community on her personal Facebook account.
“Please note that the Health Ministry abides by its principles not to discriminate against any religion, race or any groups within society in providing health services,” said Noor Hisham in a Twitter posting today.
He was referring to a Facebook posting on Aug 6, which appears to have been removed since.
In the posting addressed to activist Marina Mahathir, the person questioned what rights for the LGBT community was she fighting for.
“Would you (Marina) agree that those who dominate the demographic of HIV patients come from the LGBT community?
“Until now, even if the patient receiving treatment from me is from the LGBT community, I will still treat them as a patient and provide them the best treatment possible.
“Especially when they are at the end of their lives. So, what rights are you fighting for?” the person asked.
She also questioned whether Marina would agree to one of her family members receiving blood transfusions from someone from the LGBT community, although they are not allowed to donate blood due to their “high-risk lifestyle”.
“If you want to champion such rights, then we too want to champion our rights to live peacefully free from the influence of perverse lifestyles,” she added.
Promoting such “lifestyles” in the media is interrupting the peace, she said.
“We also have the right to ensure our children and family’s minds are protected from such perverse thoughts and lifestyles,” she said.
When contacted, the Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, through his press secretary, said he agreed with the director-general’s statement.
“The Health Ministry does not discriminate and the views of that medical officer are her own personal view,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kelantan PAS women's wing chief Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff urged the Health Ministry not to take action against Dr Nur Ilyani Mohamed Nawawi who had penned the Facebook posting to Marina.
"As a Malaysian and also someone who represents the majority, I believe she has the right to freely and openly voice out her opinions," said the Rantau Panjang MP in a statement.
Siti Zailah added that Nur Ilyani, in her posting, also did not discount the need for the LGBT community to be "rehabilitated".
"We state our support and solidarity for the principles that Nur Ilyani champions and urge all Malaysians and NGOs who are of the same view to state their support and solidarity," she said. - Mkini
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