Dubai: The Ministry of Health has warned medical practitioners not to wear white coats outside their workplace.
The ministry issued a notice yesterday to doctors, other practitioners in the field of medicine and medical students, urging them to follow the rules by not wearing their lab coats in public spaces.
Despite the earlier circulars which determine where lab coats should be worn, doctors and medical students are not abiding by the rule. The ministry said that such behaviour has been increasingly noticeable since doctors and students wear the lab coats in public.
The ministry also explained that international studies have shown that such behaviour can lead to lab coat transmissible diseases as practitioners wear them in conferences, masjids and television interviews outside the health institution premises.
The study also took samples from lab coats, specifically sleeves and pockets, and found large quantities of contagious germs. Subsequently, medical students and practitioners were told to avoid wearing their lab coats outside health institutions.
In order to avoid the spread of transmissible diseases, those in the medical field are asked to follow the standard universal precaution for infection control requirements. The Ministry of Health also encourages those practising medicine to abide by the circular for the health and safety of their colleagues and the public.
