A photo, taken by a female doctor inside a labour room, showing a patient's private parts has gone viral on social media.

In the photo, which has allegedly been taken at a hospital in Malaysia's Johor Bahru city, the doctor is seen keeping her right hand on the patient's vagina and showing a peace sign with her left hand.

The image was posted on Facebook by one Kak Long Di Sini, who urged authorities to take necessary action against the doctor.

"This picture was shown to me by one of my friend, apparently this mother is having some sort of obstetrics emergency, and instead of taking the matter seriously, they opted to take photo. This kind of behaviour and inconsiderate action has deeply offended me and the people that I have shown the picture to. The most ridiculous part is, the whole private area is involved in the picture. I honestly don't see any sense of victorious contrary to her hand sign,"  Kak Long Di Sini posted on social media.

Utk menjaga privasi pesakit, posting sblm ni kak long dah delete. Now repost yg baru. Part yg x sepatutnye dah...

Posted by Kak Long Di Sini on Saturday, August 22, 2015

Meanwhile, the reports from Malaysia suggest that Health Minister Subramaniam Sathasivam will take proper action after reviewing the matter.

"What the doctor did was very serious and it is against the ethics of medical practitioners. It is not easy to become a doctor because it takes years and is very costly but because of one photograph, the woman's future appears bleak," reported Freemalaysiatoday.