Fix Junior Doctor Bullying In Hospitals Or Face Brain Drain

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The Health Ministry should urgently address the issue of poor work conditions for junior doctors in public hospitals or risk losing talent to other countries.
Student-led organisation Malaysian Medics International (MMI) made this call after a house officer attached to Penang General Hospital was found dead, apparently from falling from his apartment building last month, prompting an ongoing investigation by the Health Ministry (MOH).
Junior doctors spoke out against "bullying" and "discrimination" in public hospitals following the death.
"We must put a stop to the vicious cycle of horizontal workplace violence before human nature takes its course and we lose further manpower as future graduates flock to greener pastures where their wellbeing is being recognised as a priority for better patient care," MMI said in a statement.
MMI said among the measures that could be taken urgently is to cut weekly working hours for house officers.
House officers currently work 65 to 75 hours a week as part of their two-year practical training to qualify as medical officers.
The house officers are trained in various disciplines in four-month rotations and are entitled to one day off per week.
Besides the long working hours, junior doctors also said they are subjected to "bullying" and "discrimination" by senior healthcare workers.
MMI added that studies have shown that poor work conditions for healthcare workers impair the quality of care.
"We plead that the MOH addresses the current issue of atrocious horizontal violence seriously and enforce compassionate mentoring and professional communication standards towards all medical colleagues alike," it said.
'Risking quality of care'
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Society for Occupational Safety and Health (Mshosh) called for an "overhaul" in the public health sector to ensure the occupational safety of healthcare workers.
Its president, Dr Shawaludin Husin, said bullying at the workplace is considered psychological harassment by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health.
This is a danger to the public and the public healthcare system, he said.
"Fatigue among healthcare workers, especially junior doctors...do not only endanger them but could lead to errors at work when caring for patients.
"The quality of healthcare will go down, and if not addressed immediately, can impact trust in the public healthcare system.
"The spillover effect is very serious if we do not urgently overhaul the occupational health and safety aspect of our public healthcare," he said.
As such, Shawaludin urged that this aspect be included in the White Paper on future-proofing the public healthcare service due to be tabled in Parliament by Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin soon.
In 2020, the Health Ministry pledged to reduce healthcare worker fatigue and launched the National Fatigue Management Awareness Campaign.
The Health Ministry has also undertaken to improve the house officer programme by introducing a flexible working system since September 2011.
It was further improved in January 2014, when house officers worked an average 65 to 75 hours a week and received a day off every week. - Mkini

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