KUALA LUMPUR – In light of the recent death of a junior doctor attached with Penang Hospital, experts say that society’s negative perception towards individuals who seek mental health care contributes to hesitancy among housemen in obtaining support from licensed professionals.
According to psychiatrist Dr G.S. Grewal, such stigmatisation rears its head in many aspects of life, and the medical world is not excluded from its own share of biases, resulting in young doctors unwilling to step forward and speak up about possible abuse they might be facing.
“Many are afraid to make a complaint regarding workplace bullying as they fear repercussions such as being bullied at the next posting or reduced chances to take up a postgraduate course,” he told The Vibes.
He noted that while horizontal violence does occasionally occur among internship peers, vertical violence where figures of authority abuse their power against their subordinates is a much more pressing problem.
The bullying phenomena is a longstanding vicious cycle that needs to be ended once and for all,” he said, adding that while he recalls his housemanship experience fondly, different people have varying tolerance levels and ability to cope.
Stressing that acknowledgement of the issue is vital in enacting change, Dr Grewal said that a neutral framework which caters to both sides of a conflict is necessary, with the victim and alleged perpetrator being treated in a fair manner.
Meanwhile, occupational health professional Dr Pathmakanthan Ganesamoorthy opined that senior medical practitioners in charge of guiding housemen through their training might dish out tough treatment, but have the best of intentions for their charges.
“Some seniors, both medical officers (MO) and specialists, genuinely want to teach housemen by testing their knowledge or understanding of a certain subject in front of patients.
If housemen are unable to answer correctly, then they are shouted at. This is an embarrassing situation, but all trainee doctors had to go through such experiences and we just took it as a part of our job,” he said.
He added that while certain “isolated” cases can be classified as outright bullying, others are not as clear cut, because there is a possibility of housemen misconstruing the actions of a senior doctor.
A source within the medical fraternity, who wished to remain unnamed, said that it should be considered how perpetrators of violence might have psychological problems of their own and, as a result, resort to taking out their frustrations on others.
All doctors, no matter how senior, will relentlessly criticise and blame themselves for complications that occur with patients,” he said, noting that while housemen are especially susceptible to such pressures, senior doctors should not be forgotten.
Another anonymous source with experience in occupational health said that prior to determining prevention methods, factors which trigger workplace violence should be analysed.
“Are senior doctors subjected to a lot of demands in terms of competency and pushed to demonstrate results? If they are put through a lot of pressure themselves, then it might cause ripple effects where they lash out against those under their tutelage,” he said.
The recent death of the Penang Hospital houseman is believed to be the second involving a junior doctor in the state. In December 2020, The Vibes reported that a doctor who had resigned from the same hospital had done so suddenly.
The latest incident triggered an outcry among medical practitioners. Several doctors, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue, said bullying in the medical fraternity is a pervasive problem. – The Vibes, May 6, 2022
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