PETALING JAYA: Referring to a media report published by a local news portal, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) said these criticisms levelled against them are unfair.
It’s president, Dr Koh Kar Chai said the media report titled “Junior Doctors Accuse MMA of Playing Down bullying Cases” and comments made today by Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Prof Dr P. Ramasamy on the issue is unfair as MMA has been actively addressing the issue of bullying among healthcare workers for years.
“It is clear that both the Hartal Doktor Kontrak (HDK) 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,“ Koh said.
He added that MMA reiterates its stand that it does not condone bullying.
“What we are saying is that it is time that bullying be adequately defined so as to be able to identify genuine cases of bullying to allow appropriate action to be taken on the perpetrators.
“All cases of bullying need to be reported for action to be taken. Though much has been mentioned on social media, only a handful has actually been reported, which does not mean that there are only a few cases.
“It may be the tip of an iceberg, which is indeed causing worry and concern. Those affected by bullying must also not remain silent,“ he said.
Understanding that there is a reluctance to report through the normal channels, Koh noted that MMA had set up its own helpline called HelpDoc way back in 2016.
“Hence, 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.
“MMA has never played down the issue of bullying, hence the call was made to end the culture of fear within the ministry of health.
“However, we wish to once again state that medical practice is a high-stress profession involving patients who may be in a life and death situation.
“The stressors at work involve everyone on the team, both from the consultants down to the house officers. Teamwork is essential in the provision of healthcare,“ he said.
