GEORGE TOWN – The government should set up a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to investigate the long-standing issue of alleged bullying and abuse of housemen at government hospitals, said a former rep and doctor.
Former Batu Uban assemblyman Dr T. Jayabalan says 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 matters are serious at Penang Hospital. It must be addressed immediately, otherwise it will slowly erode the confidence of the public in the administration of the hospital,” he said.
Dr Jayabalan, who is also a practicing doctor, alleged that trainee doctors were being treated as slaves and there was no self-respect.
“They (trainee doctors) are humiliated in front of the patients. Even senior nurses insult them. There is a limit for everything. Do not prick their dignity and self-respect in front of others.”
The Vibes had yesterday reported that a houseman attached to Penang Hospital died recently after he apparently fell from an office building along Jalan Datuk Keramat here.
Northeast district police chief Soffian Santong confirmed the case, saying that the initial investigation centred on sudden death.
The houseman, whose name has been withheld due to a request from his parents, was posted to the hospital just three weeks before his sudden demise.
The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) has urged the Health Ministry to set up a hotline or a counselling centre to address problems faced by housemen or junior doctors at their workplace.
CAP education bureau head N.V. Subbarow said that many housemen do not want to share their grouses for fear of reprisal from medical officers and specialists.
“The ragging of housemen has been going on for a long, long time. If junior doctors face emotional pressure, how can they perform and provide better treatment to their patients?
“They may be facing emotional pressure and workload as they provide the necessary medical treatment to their patients,” he said.
Subbarow said a hotline or counselling method would help resolve the emotional problems faced by trainee doctors.
Former Kedah exco member Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam, who also did his housemanship at Penang Hospital, said he was saddened to hear of the sudden death of the houseman.
He said he started his medical career as a houseman in 1971, where only two housemen were in charge of their department.
“Both were on call and had worked more than 17 hours a day.
“One of us will work four days continuously from 7am to 7am in a week , while the other will have the evening off for three days. I know how stressful and exhausting the life of a houseman is, but now we have more than a dozen housemen manning a ward.
“Can’t they devise a timetable to share their work? We cannot lower the standard of learning just because a few of them are not able to cope with the work. It’s not easy to become a doctor if one cannot accept the rigorous training that one must undergo.
“Most of them come out successfully as good doctors. A few who had not expected the rigorous training schedule are emotionally and physically affected, and those who resort to resignation or taking their own lives may have chosen this profession because their parents wanted them to become doctors,” he said.
Dr Subramaniam said no parent should force their children to take up a profession that is against their will, given also that there is a glut of doctors.
“Many who have completed their exams are unable to get their houseman postings and many more who have completed their housemanships are left waiting to be posted as medical officers. They are also not sure of getting permanent jobs.
“The medical profession has lost its glamour and it has become a business investment with no nobility or compassion. Almost all who open clinics have one objective, which is to recoup at least part of the huge amount paid to enter this profession,” Dr Subramaniam added.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations senior vice-president and Penang Consumers Protection Association president Datuk Koris Atan said it is regrettable to see such an unfortunate incident.
“If I am not mistaken, this is the second incident in Penang Hospital. We, the parents, feel that despite spending huge amounts of money to educate them to become doctors, they have to undergo such strict regimental procedures.
“As a leader looking after the consumer rights of the people, we must join forces and fight this noble cause to protect the fragility of young housemen.
“There are too many medical universities in Malaysia, resulting in no proper accreditation being carried out,” he said.
He added that the standards of medical education have dropped significantly in Malaysia as there were too many doctors and not enough hospitals to accommodate them.
“We as parents would like to see our children growing up and becoming responsible doctors. I had my two sons undergo housemanship at Penang Hospital about fifteen years ago.
“They did undergo the stringent regimented administration in Penang Hospital. I propose that the housemanship procedures need a major overhaul. It is not fair to ask these young doctors to work 16 hours a day and still perform meaningful jobs.
“How can someone do a good job without a good rest? We the consumerists are prepared to protest for a good cause,” Koris said. – The Vibes, May 4, 2022
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