THE Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has never condoned any form of bullying, and comments accusing it of downplaying abuse of housemen by senior doctors are unfair, its president, Dr Koh Kar Chai, said.

“The Malaysian Medical Association reiterates its stand that it does not condone any form of bullying. Period,” Dr Koh said in a statement.

“What we are saying is that it is time bullying was properly defined so as to be able to identify genuine cases of bullying to allow appropriate action to be taken against the perpetrators.

“All bullying cases need to be reported for action to be taken.

“Although much 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 cause for worry and concern. Those affected by bullying must also not remain silent.”

Penang DAP leader P. Ramasamy today took issue with Dr Koh’s remarks at a press conference yesterday where he was reported to have said that bullying of housemen was not widespread.

“MMA has actively fought bullying among healthcare workers for many years,” said Dr Koh.

“It is clear that both the HDK (Hartal Doktor Kontrak) group and the Penang deputy chief minister II had not read MMA’s full press statement issued yesterday nor did they witness our press conference held yesterday.

“The comments they made seem to be based on a few media reports they read and not our full press statement.

“MMA has never played down the issue of bullying, hence the call was made to end the culture of fear within the MOH (Health Ministry).” 

He said MMA had set up a helpline – HelpDoc – in 2016 so that healthcare workers who fear reporting abuse through official channels could do so directly with the association.

“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,” he said.

The issue of abuse of housemen by senior doctors came to the fore again following the recent death of a houseman attached to the Penang Hospital who fell from a building.

The Health Ministry is setting up an independent task force to probe the incident and the problem of alleged bullying of trainee doctors in public healthcare.

Dr Koh said everyone involved in medical practice should remember that because it is a high stress profession involving life and death situations, they must work as a team, from consultants to house officers. – May 11, 2022.