THE recent sudden death of a trainee doctor in Penang Hospital could have been avoided if the administration had taken a serious look into the pervasive bullying of young trainee doctors, P. Ramasamy said today.

The Penang deputy chief minister said it was a shame that the Health Ministry was not addressing the practice of bullying and shaming of young trainee doctors.

“The so-called sudden death of a houseman or trainee doctor at the Penang General Hospital has brought to fore appalling conditions of training at the hospital as well as other government hospitals in the country.

“The police might label the death by suicide as ‘sudden death’, but there must be investigations about what led to the death.

“It cannot be dismissed as sudden death because there are allegations of bullying and harassing of trainee doctors at the Penang GH,” he said in a statement.

Ramasamy was referring to a news report yesterday about a Penang Hospital houseman who died after falling from an office building along Jalan Datuk Keramat in George Town.

The police are investigating the case as sudden death but could reclassify the file if fresh evidence comes to light.

The houseman had been posted to the hospital just three weeks ago.

Several doctors had previously said that bullying was a major issue among the medical fraternity. 

In December 2020, it was reported that a doctor who had resigned from the  Penang Hospital had died suddenly.

“If the manner and nature of training is not addressed, more unfortunate incidents can be expected,” said Ramasamy today.

“At the hospitals, trainees have to work long hours, are shouted at by their senior doctors, including the nurses, and left to fend for themselves.

“I understand that there is no training in the medical sense but a kind of regimental training where they are scolded, shouted at as though the aim was to break their spirit.” – May 4, 2022.