Malaysian Medical Association president Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz said the emergence of anonymous poison pen letters indicates a lack of trust in the system that the Health Ministry must address.
"It’s troubling to see poison pen letters circulating on social media. It’s time for the Health Ministry to look into reasons why doctors are taking to other means such as social media to be heard.
"One likely reason is a lack of trust in the system. For victims of workplace bullying, every moment endured is significant.
“It can be disheartening when reports on bullying are met with sluggish responses and minimal action, which can result in perpetrators evading consequences," she said in a statement.
Nevertheless, Azizan urged doctors to respect due process by reporting incidents of bullying using official channels - such as via SISPAA (Sistem Pengurusan Aduan Awam), the MoHs MyHelp portal, MMA’s HelpDoc or make a police report rather than seek justice via trial by media.
Last week, the police received a report from a male doctor working at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital (HRPB) in Ipoh, Perak over an anonymous letter circulating on social media that accused him and several other staff of sexually harassing interns working at HRPB’s Orthopaedic Department.
Subsequently, Perak Health Department director Dr Feisul Idzwan Mustapha said she has formed an independent investigation committee in response to the accusations.
As for the letter, Ipoh police chief Yahaya Hassan said the matter was being investigated for defamation and improper usage of network facilities and services.
Poor response from authority
On that note, Azizan cited the case of a group of doctors from a Sabah public hospital who in September 2023 used MMA’s HelpDoc channel to report a case of bullying involving specialists and several medical officers.
"We escalated the matter to the ministry and were duly informed that the case was being investigated.
“However, the same complainants recently contacted MMA to report that the bullying has not stopped.
"This means that something is not right with the system," she said.
As such, Azizan urged the Health Ministry to work on the following solutions:
Establish standard operating procedures (SOP) in the reporting and management of bullying cases
Establish a timeline to complete investigations and resolve cases.
Look into limiting certain powers given to heads of departments and hospital directors to allow for a fair hearing of bullying cases.
Include independent panel members in its integrity unit for a fair hearing of bullying cases.
Azizan said that while the 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, there was no follow-up with the implementation of any of its recommendations.
"The government must explain why, especially if it involves taxpayers’ money. MMA itself proposed numerous solutions to combat bullying, yet none were adopted.
"Many of our proposals didn't even entail additional expenditure of public funds. One suggestion was to hold hospital directors and department heads accountable for any cases of bullying," she added.
Azizan then stressed that bullying poses a grave risk to both patient and healthcare worker’s 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.
"Public healthcare workforce morale is currently at an all-time low given the five-year trend of resignations amongst contract doctors and specialists in public healthcare.
"Failing to address bullying effectively will undoubtedly exacerbate this issue," she said. - Mkini
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