MMA has been fighting bullies for years, says president

 

It is unfair to blame the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) over the issue of bullying in hospitals, said its president Dr Koh Kar Chai, who stressed that they have never condoned such behaviour.

In a statement, Koh denied that MMA was downplaying the issue of junior doctors being bullied and instead they want bullying properly defined to allow appropriate action to be taken against perpetrators.

"MMA reiterates its stand that it does not condone any form of bullying. Period.

"What we are saying is that it is time that bullying was properly defined to be able to identify genuine cases of bullying to allow appropriate action to be taken on the perpetrators. All cases of bullying need to be reported for action to be taken.

"Though there has been much that has been mentioned on social media, only a handful have actually been reported which does not mean that there are only a few cases. It may be the tip of an iceberg and this is indeed a cause for worry and concern. Those affected by bullying must also not remain silent," he said.

Koh's statement came after he and MMA caught brickbats over an earlier statement where he claimed that there were only a handful of serious bullying cases.

Pressure cooker

He also argued that senior doctors using harsh words against their juniors was expected due to the pressure cooker working environment and to ensure that the trainees perform.

Among those who criticised him include Penang Deputy Chief Minister (II) P Ramasamy and the Hartal Doktor Kontrak group.

P Ramasamy

Koh claimed that the criticisms levelled against MMA were unfair as MMA has been involved in addressing the problem of bullying among healthcare workers.

"Understanding that there is a reluctance to report through the normal channels, MMA had set up its own helpline called HelpDoc way back in 2016. So it is unfair to label MMA as not being aware of the current situation. In fact, MMA had the foresight to initiate actions on this.

"MMA has never played down the issue of bullying, hence the call was made to end the culture of fear within the Health Ministry.

"However, we wish to once again state that medical practice is a high-stress profession involving patients who may be in a life and death situation. The stressors at work involve everyone on the team, both from the consultants down to the house officers. Teamwork is essential in the provision of healthcare," he said. - Mkini