Findings on Penang Hospital's doctor's death ‘disappointing'

 

The Healthcare Work Culture Improvement Task Force (HWCITF) findings are disappointing to the civil society as it failed to address the issue at hand and the former cannot deny there was no bullying issue at public healthcare facilities, said former Batu Uban assemblyperson Dr T Jayabalan.

While thanking the task force for its efforts, the practising medical doctor said it had only superficially touched on the issue of bullying and hazardous working conditions in the Health Ministry.

“I am surprised by the findings of the task force. However, the public expected it from the team,” Jayabalan said.

Yesterday, the task force concluded its work and said it found no "strong evidence" to suggest the 25-year-old Penang Hospital house officer, who was found dead on April 17 after falling from his apartment building, had suffered bullying.

"HWCITF maintains this view as long as there is no new information relating to the houseman's death from the police through their investigations on the case.

"More than 60 percent of our survey respondents described the work culture in the Health Ministry as 'positive', especially in terms of patient care, community and teamwork," its chairperson Siti Hamisah Tapsir told a press conference yesterday.

Hamisah, who is a former Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry chief secretary, also said 20 percent of the respondents were neutral while the remaining 20 percent felt the opposite.

Mere scratch on the surface

Touching on the matter, Jayabalan (above) said the issue of bullying and discrimination against house officers in public hospitals is common knowledge to those within the medical fraternity but reforms cannot happen without acknowledging the problem first.

“The task force had in their investigations superficially touched the issue but had failed to address the contentiousness of the problem. If they have more than 100,000 respondents, then they would have understood its seriousness.

“The senior doctors and the wrongdoers will continue their ill actions against junior doctors if you fail to address the issue and sweeping the matter under carpet will not bring any good to the medical fraternity," he added.

For example, Jayabalan alleged, that trainee doctors were being treated as slaves and were not respected, and routinely humiliated in front of patients, including by senior nurses.

"Do not prick their dignity and self-respect in front of others.”

Former National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health chairperson Lee Lam Thye

Meanwhile, Jayabalan echoed former National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health chairperson Lee Lam Thye in saying that further investigations should be conducted by occupational health experts.

Lee also suggested experts work with the ministry to ensure hospitals create safe working environments.

“We need a written workplace policy to look into the system, employ digitalisation and ensure a conducive working environment that guarantees the occupational safety and health of the house (officers)," Jayabalan said.

“The consultants and specialists must also undergo training on how to train juniors. Being a consultant or a specialist does not make them trainers, so, they must be trained on how to train the house (officers)."

'Image of noble profession at stake'

Jayabalan had earlier proposed to the government to set up a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to investigate the long-standing issue of alleged bullying of housemen at government hospitals.

He added that the RCI will bring many things to the surface as two junior doctors who were working at Penang Hospital had lost their lives under worrying circumstances.

“The matter is serious. The government cannot simply ignore the issue. The image of the noble profession is at stake and it is serious at the Penang Hospital.

"It must be addressed immediately, otherwise it will slowly erode public confidence in the hospital’s administration,” Jayabalan said. - Mkini