KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry has denied claims that a doctor, who wrote an open letter on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) recently, has been barred from carrying out her duties.
Its Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said Dr Nur Ilyani Mohamed Nawawi has been reporting for work as per usual at Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital in Kota Baru, Kelantan.
“Not true (on claims that she was refrained from carrying her work),” he told press conference at the Parliament lobby today.
Dr Dzulkefly was responding to claims made by a Facebook user, identified as ‘Azman Hashim’, that Dr Ilyani has been transferred to the Public Service Department in Putrajaya within 24 hours for making the remarks.
She made headlines recently after she posted an 'open letter' to activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir on the issue of basic rights for the LGBT community.
Her comment went viral on the social media but was not well-received by some quarters supporting the LGBT movement.
A group had lodged a report against Dr Ilyani to the Public Complaints Bureau (PCB), calling for action to be taken against her by the Health Ministry.
Meanwhile, asked if the ministry plans to take action against the doctor, Dr Dzulkefly said: “No action will be taken as the letter was written on her personal capacity.”