Dr Azizan says MMA has put forward numerous solutions to combat bullying, yet none were adopted. — Malay Mail photo
KUCHING (March 20): Doctors must respect due process by reporting incidents of bullying using official channels, said Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz.
She urged public healthcare doctors to either lodge a report via the Public Complaints Management System (SISPAA), the Ministry of Health’s (MoH) MyHelp portal, MMA’s HelpDoc or make a police report rather than seek justice via trial by media.
“It is troubling to see poison pen letters circulating on social media however it is time the MoH looks into the reasons why its doctors are taking to other means such as social media to be heard.
“One likely reason is a lack of trust in the system,” she said in a statement.
She said for victims of workplace bullying, every moment endured is significant and it can be disheartening when reports on bullying are met with sluggish responses and minimal action, which can result in perpetrators evading consequences.
Citing a bullying incident which happened to a group of doctors from a Sabah public hospital in September last year, Dr Azizan said the doctors had used MMA’s HelpDoc channel to report “what appeared to be a clear-cut case of bullying involving specialists and several medical officers.”
“We appropriately escalated the matter to the MoH and was duly informed that the case was being investigated.
“However, the same complainants recently contacted MMA to report that the bullying has not stopped. This could mean that something is not right with the system,” she said.
In this regard, she called on MoH to establish standard operating procedures (SOPs) in the reporting and management of bullying cases, and establish a timeline to complete investigations and resolve cases.
“The MoH should also look into limiting certain powers given to heads of departments and hospital directors to allow for a fair hearing of bullying cases, and include independent panel members in its integrity unit for a fair hearing of bullying cases,” she said.
She said MoH’s establishment of the Healthcare Work Culture Improvement Taskforce (HWCITF) in 2022 to review the work culture in public healthcare was a step in the right direction.
“But there was no follow through with the implementation of any of its recommendations. The government must explain why, especially if it involved taxpayers’ money.”
She also said that MMA had put forward numerous solutions to combat bullying, yet none were adopted.
“Many of our proposals didn’t even entail any additional expenditure of public funds. One suggestion was to hold hospital directors and department heads accountable for any cases of bullying. Bullying poses a grave risk to both patient and healthcare worker safety and must be treated with the utmost seriousness.
“We applaud the Health Minister for stating his strong stand against bullying and hope that there will soon be engagement on the matter as there is an urgent need for systemic changes to ensure a safe and supportive environment for all healthcare professionals,” she said.
Dr Azizan said public healthcare workforce morale was currently at an all-time low given the five-year trend of resignations amongst contract doctors and specialists in public healthcare.
“Failing to effectively address bullying will undoubtedly exacerbate this issue.”
She urged MoH to take advantage of MMA’s Rights and Responsibilities of Government Doctors Seminar which will be held in Melaka on April 20 as an opportunity to engage with government doctors and address any of their concerns.
The seminar held annually since 2008, includes talks by top MOH officials on the rights and responsibilities of public healthcare doctors.