Bangkok hospital memo ordered female staff to go on the pill and told them they would be SACKED if they fell pregnant after department was left 'frequently shorthanded by pregnancies'
- Female hospital staff told they would be asked to leave if they fell pregnant
- Memo posted at pharmacy department said they must all go on the pill
- Rajavithi Hospital has been accused of violating basic human rights
- Director Dr Udom Chaowarin said he has 'scrapped' the prejudicial order
A hospital ordered female staff to go on the pill and told them they would be fired if they fell pregnant after a department was left 'frequently shorthanded' by women taking maternity leave.
The memo allegedly posted at the pharmacy department of Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok has sparked outrage with many saying it is a blatant violation of human rights.
It said: 'From Oct 30, 2014 to Dec 31, 2015, all female staff must take birth-control pills. Do not get pregnant. Anyone who gets pregnant will be asked to leave.'
The hospital memo said: 'All female staff must take birth-control pills. Do not get pregnant. Anyone who gets pregnant will be asked to leave'
Under the text, more than 25 staff members signed their names to acknowledge it.
A photo of the announcement taken by an employee went viral on social media, and drew strong criticism over the perceived prejudice of the hospital's administration.
The order also contradicts Thailand's labour laws, which allows 90 days of maternal leave to employees.
Rajavithi Hospital director Dr Udom Chaowarin said he has cancelled the order and claimed it was never endorsed as an official policy.
He explained it was an internal message and said the supervisor of the pharmacy department, which is '100 percent' women, was worried too many pregnancies would cause a labour shortage.
The order allegedly posted at the pharmacy department of Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok has sparked outrage with many saying it is a blatant violation of human rights
Dr Udom said he had talked to the department chief, who explained it was intended to be 'a plea for cooperation' among the department's staff.
'In any case, the act is unconstitutional,' he said.
'So many maternity leaves had affected the department so it was agreed at a meeting the staff would be asked to cooperate. The method, however, infringed on their rights.
'We have settled this and the memo was scrapped. Everyone can get pregnant and the department will have to find other ways to cope with the staff shortage and report to management,' Dr Udom told the Daily News.
Human rights commissioner Visa Benjano said the incident is being investigated.
Under the Thai labour law, a worker can take maternity leave before and after the birth for not more than 90 days in total including holidays.
The employer must pay her the normal wage for not more than 45 days.
If she is a member of the Social Security Fund, she also gets a pay from it for the remaining 45 days of the leave.
And if she is a civil servant, as in the case of the Rajavithi Hospital, she may also take a personal leave to look after the baby for another 150 days without pay and promotion eligibility for that year.
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
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